


A Fallen Angel

by LizzeXX



Series: The Heart of Time Saga [7]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Amnesia, Awkward Romance, BAMF Rory Williams, Broken Hearts, Broken Promises, Canon Divergence, Canon Rewrite, Difficult Pregnancy, Drama, Embedded Images, Emotional Manipulation, Family Reunions, Gallifrey, Hurt for a while then comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Manipulation, Manipulative Relationship, Mind Manipulation, Or Just Hurt, Original Character(s), Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Pain, Partial telepathy, Past Relationship(s), Psychic Abilities, Recovery, References to Depression, References to loss of Pregnancy, River Flirting, River making things worse, River the Psychopath, Secrets, Silence will Fall, Strained Relationships, Suicidal Thoughts, Telepathy, Temporary Character Death, The Doctor is not Alone, The Doctor is slightly less oblivious, The Heart of Time Saga, The Last Great Time War, The TARDIS is Angel's sister, Time Lord Mating Process, Time Travel, Time Vortex, Unplanned Pregnancy, Vortex Powers, When the Question is Asked, doctor who - Freeform, friendships, healing hearts, series 6 rewrite, space travel, still lots of pain, strong support system, time lady - Freeform, visionary
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 18:28:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 51
Words: 382,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29300427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizzeXX/pseuds/LizzeXX
Summary: The Doctor has forgotten who his Mate, Angel, is to him, leaving her to deal with a difficult pregnancy and terrible visions of the future. The Silence are ready, Kovarian is plotting, and River Song is eager to steal the Doctor away. What will Angel do to prevent it happening? Will she succeed? What will she lose in the process?11/OCTime Lady
Relationships: Eleventh Doctor/Original Female Character(s), The Doctor (Doctor Who) & Original Female Character(s), The Doctor/The Angel, Thella - Relationship, Theta/Nella
Series: The Heart of Time Saga [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2086098
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	1. Space & Time

**Author's Note:**

> I have been plagiarized many times since I began writing fanfiction :( So please, do not copy my work onto other sites. And if you see my work, whether in full or tweaked or mish-mashed into other people's works, reach out to me on tumblr (LizzeXX) and let me know so I can look into it, post evidence on my tumblr's 'Plagiarizers' page, and ask for help reporting when it happens :(
> 
> I have seen it all by now. From people flat out copying everything and just pasting it as is, to changing the OC's name or from 3rd to 1st person, to alternating parts of their own work with putting in parts of mine, to starting off originally and then transitioning to my work, to using Proffy for 1 story then switching to Evy in their next, to people literally taking chunks from 5 different series and piecing it together into a story, so please, PLEASE, let me know if you see it happening. I am nervous enough posting this on AO3 or any other site, it is reassuring to me if people can keep an eye out and just let me know if you see anything happening :(

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Welcome to the seventh story in my third(!) OC series, the Heart of Time Saga, A Fallen Angel. I would recommend any new readers checking this out first read the six preceding stories of the saga (A Treasured Discovery, Meeting of the Minds, Hearts to Hearts, Fading, Mated Souls, and Among the Forgotten) to really understand who my OC is, her unique abilities, and where she is in her relationship with the Doctor, what happened between them. Believe me, they NEED to be read, especially the last story. This will be a Doctor/OC series, the pairing name officially called Thella, featuring my OC The Angel, AKA the Time Lady Nella, a woman with quite a few gifts.
> 
> Quick physical description: Angel, on her 11th body, is an average-height woman (but just a bit shorter than the 10th Doctor) with long, black hair that she tends to wear half-up, half-down, and sharp grey eyes with speckles of gold in them, which are a part of the Vortex inside her peeking out. She also seems to have similar ears to Captain Jack, just to throw that in :) She tends to wear a blue (-cough- TARDIS blue -cough-) short sleeved, tunic-style dress, with a ruffle-trim near the round neckline which makes it seem flowy. Originally she also had a thick black belt but has foregone it due to her pregnancy, but she does still wear her black cowboy boots. She also wears a Whitepoint Star necklace the 10th Doctor gifted her with before he regenerated. She loves dressing up in period style clothing for those trips :) I picture her to look something like Rachel Weisz.
> 
> Every chapter (except 'mini-sode' chapters) will be at the very least 4,000 words. I have been making it to about 5,000 so far but there may be a few that fall to 4,000 depending on how much I liked that episode (just so you have fair warning). Every episode will be broken up into three chapters that has a special title to it. Some mini-sodes won't have a special title to it if they already have a title sort of thing :) The holiday specials however will be posted in 5 chapters since they are quite a bit longer. The mini-sode chapters will be only 1 chapter long :) This story will be at least 51 chapters long :)
> 
> ~8~ is a scene break
> 
> 'italics' is telepathic communication between the Doctor and Angel
> 
> '...words...' or ...action... is Angel hearing/seeing the future
> 
> ~oOo~ memory-flashes for the Doctor
> 
> Disclaimer 1: I do not own Doctor Who or things from the show, just my OC and some original aspects...or I would be rich enough to dedicate my time to writing 24/7 :)
> 
> Disclaimer 2: My OC is not associated with any DW stories that also have a Time Lady named The Angel.
> 
> Enjoy!

Angel smiled as she sat on the Doctor's hanging harness beneath the console's glass floor, swinging just a tiny bit as she watched Rory changing the thermo-couplings all by himself, well, with a few called and gentle instructions from her. But for the most part he was handling himself just fine. It really warmed her hearts to see her companion doing so well on his own. She'd noticed a change in the man since he'd joined them on their adventures, he was slowly becoming more confident, more sure of himself, more determined. It made her _so happy_ to see him thriving and growing and she hoped that maybe she had had a little hand in it. He really did remind her SO MUCH of Mickey Smith. Now, looking back on it and at all the people she had offered to be her companion that had said no, she knew why. She was happy Rory was her second companion, he was _just_ what she needed at the moment. Mickey Smith had been her first companion and he was exactly like the Doctor had been to Sarah Jane, an incredibly tough act to follow. But Rory was making his own way, had carved out his own spot in her hearts, and had become such an important part of her life.

And she always made sure that he knew that too. Everyone always underestimated how impacting little things could be. A compliment, a small bit of praise, a kind word, a hug, anything at all, just some small form of encouragement could do wonders! And the little smile that Rory always gave, the look of realization in his eyes when he realized he HAD done something amazing or correct was just brilliant. She liked seeing that reaction in him, when he'd blink and start to smile and nod to himself like he'd just realized he had done something he hadn't known he could. Every time she saw it she saw him grow and be happier. And that was so important to her, to see him happy, to remind him he was this amazing brilliant man.

He deserved it. He truly did deserve to know how remarkable he was. Remarkable Rory. Just like Magnificent Mickey.

She glanced up to see the Doctor on his back on a small rolling board, working under a panel of the console, and frowned, her hand dropping to her stomach. Yes, she was glad Rory was her companion, she needed someone now that the Doctor was so distant. Not just a nurse, though it helped considering her was pregnant and Rory was _very_ good with pregnancy apparently, he'd worked numerous hours in the nursery of the hospital, loving children as much as he did. But...she just needed one person that she could talk to, and Rory was it. Sarah Jane was another yes, but she had her own family to look out for, her own work protecting the Earth, and she was on Earth too like Rory was there with them. Rory was perfect, so kind and understanding and compassionate, and true to his word. He hadn't told Amy or the Doctor about her yet, which she was thankful for. She knew it was wrong to ask him to keep that secret from his wife, but he did it, for her, and she had never been more grateful.

She just...she didn't want too many people to know because...it would hurt that much more if she lost the baby. Because she felt like she would not only have lost something so important to her, but...she would have hurt her family too. That baby, as soon as it was born or even learned about really, would become a part of the family, a part of their hearts. It would hurt them to lose as well and that would kill her even more to know SHE had hurt her family too. Even if it wasn't her fault, even if she couldn't control it, even if it just...happened...SHE was the mother, it was her job to protect her baby and see it healthy and happy and...she would have failed if she lost it.

Her thoughts were cut off, thankfully, when she heard footsteps above her as Amy walked over to the Doctor, "Hey!"

He rolled out from under the console to smile up at her, "HEY!" before rolling back under.

Amy smiled and shook her head, crouching down to pull him out by his braces, "Listen can we talk?"

The Doctor's eyes widened, "RORY!" before frantically scrambling back under.

Amy rolled her eyes and yanked him out once more, "No, shut up. I just got a question that's all…"

"What's wrong?" Angel called from under the console, looking up.

"You ok up there?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, fine, no problem!" the Doctor nodded.

Amy frowned and stood, putting her hands on her hips as she looked down at her husband and his Pilot, "What are you doing?"

"Helping Angel," Rory shrugged.

He'd come down to ask Angel if she wanted an examination done before he and Amy were dropped off for a short 'break' from the travelling. From what he'd learned about Time Lord pregnancies...which wasn't all that much really...Angel was probably nearing the end of her first trimester or at the start of her second and he wanted to check on her and the baby, but then he'd seen her hunched over something under the console floor with a blowtorch and immediately run over. He was under the firm belief that pregnant women ought not to over exert themselves and, given how little he really knew of Time Lord pregnancies, really only knowing the length of them, he was even more concerned for Angel. He knew she was under a lot of stress and the extra work on the TARDIS, no matter how much she enjoyed it, needed to be toned down. So he'd taken it upon himself to do the work for her, to the best of his ability.

Which reminded him...

He turned to Angel, "It's humming...is that ok?" he'd much rather ask HER than than the Doctor, she'd give him an answer...the Doctor would probably ramble off on a tangent about different types of humming in different species to avoid answering the question because he didn't know the actual answer.

Angel smiled, fiddling with her Whitepoint Star necklace, and nodded, "Yeah, the TARDIS does that whenever we enter conceptual space. Really shouldn't," she looked up at the Doctor, "But _someone_ crossed wires some time ago that I have yet to find!"

The Doctor rolled his eyes, "I told you, it _always_ made that noise!"

"Conceptual space?" Rory frowned.

Angel opened her mouth to explain when the Doctor decided to do it, "Imagine a banana or anything curved!" then paused to think, "Actually don't, since it's not curved or like a banana…forget the banana."

Rory nodded, that was exactly why he asked Angel questions about time and space and TARDISes.

Amy glanced down as Angel pointed something out and Rory moved to do it, "Uh, is he helping you fly the TARDIS?"

"A bit, yeah," Angel replied before focusing on Rory, "Now we just need to attach thermo-couplings 2, 7, and 11," she reached out and nudged his arm as he passed her to get them, "Just like I showed you."

Rory smiled and nodded, getting to work.

Amy looked at the Doctor as he rolled off the board to get up and check his work on the console, "How come _he_ gets a go?"

"Because he's my companion!" Angel called up to her.

Which made Amy round on the Doctor, "You never let me have a go Doctor!"

"Because I also had a bad feeling about it," Angel added with a laugh. She'd learned the hard way through teaching Amy the basics of flying the TARDIS NOT to leave her unattended or let her fly without supervision. She was just fine when she was just helping them hit a button or pull a lever just out of reach...but actually flying the TARDIS...well, she wasn't going to risk the box in that sense, not when she risked enough just letting the Doctor pilot.

Amy let out a small mock-offended scoff.

"Quite right too," Rory laughed, moving to lean against a beam to look at Angel as he held one of the thermo-couplings, nudging her leg with his foot, "I let her drive my car once."

"Yeah," Amy scoffed, "To the end of the road!"

Angel smiled, sensing where this was going, "How'd that work out?"

"Well, let's just say..." Rory smiled, "There was an unexpected house. According to Amy."

Angel started laughing, which made Rory beam to hear, he didn't often her her laugh much and he knew that she deserved to laugh more, to be happy more.

Amy shook her head, though she was smiling at seeing her husband and Angel getting along so well, "He's jealous Angel, because _I_ passed my test first time."

"You cheated," he countered, making his way to the base of the console again, "You wore a skirt."

"I didn't wear a skirt."

"Luck would have worked too," he mumbled, getting back to work.

The Doctor smiled at the three of them, moving to hunch over the controls, only to look over a moment later and come face-to-face with Amy's legs, straightening quickly to walk around to the other end of the console, his smile fading though when he heard Angel laughing at Rory's remarks. For some reason...it _hurt_...to hear another man making her laugh. But he shook his head, Rory was her companion, it made sense they'd be friends. It was good they were friends. Very good. Wasn't it?

"No, no, I _did_ wear a skirt. But it was any old skirt."

"You ever see Amy drive Doctor?" Rory called up to the man.

"No!" he replied.

"Neither did her driving examiner."

"Actually," Amy paused in thought, "It was this one...it was this skirt."

"Eyes front soldier," Angel called to Rory, seeing him about to look up...

Only for the TARDIS to go dark moments later.

Angel winced and hunched over, sucking in a breath of air, feeling her insides twisting.

"What was that?" Amy looked around.

"Rory did you drop a thermo-coupling?!" the Doctor asked.

"Sorry..." Rory admitted.

"Oh how did you _do_ that?!" he strode over and looked down through the floor at him, "I told you don't drop them! Angel specifically mentioned not dropping them too!"

At the mention of Angel, Rory looked over, his eyes widening at seeing her almost struggling to breathe, clutching her stomach. He ran to her side, kneeling down before her to put his hands over hers, trying to see what was wrong, but she had her eyes clenched in pain, tears in the corners of them.

"What is it?" Rory breathed, trying to help her, frantic.

"It hurts..." she ground out quietly as he frantically checked her over, trying to see what was wrong, all his training as a nurse flying out the window at the sight of her in such sudden pain.

"It was my fault," Amy continued above them, both her and the Doctor oblivious to Angel's plight in the darkness.

"Of course it wasn't your fault," the Doctor waved her off, heading to the console to try and get the power back on.

"No, it really was."

"How can it be _your_ fault?"

"Because it was _my_ skirt, and _my_ husband, and _your_ glass floor."

"Oh!" he grimaced, realizing what Rory had done, what had distracted him, "Rory!" he turned to look through the floor again, only to see Rory with Angel, something clearly very wrong, "Angel?" he called, pulling Amy's attention over as well, "What's wrong?" he turned and ran down the stairs with Amy.

"What happened?" Amy gasped, seeing Angel nearly curled up on the harness, shaking, sweating.

"The...emergency materialization..." Angel whimpered, "The TARDIS is inside herself. Feels like I'm...being crushed from the inside..." she let out a groan.

The Doctor's eyes widened and he ran to a lever on a pole, switching it on, turning on the lights. He moved towards the stairs that led from the console to the main doors, Amy after him as Rory remained with Angel, trying to help her up, wanting to get her off the harness and upstairs to the jump seat where she'd be more stable. The Doctor gaped at the sight of _another_ TARDIS inside the console room, just by the main doors.

"Doctor...what's happened?" Amy stared.

"Like Angel said, emergency materialization...means the TARDIS locked on to the safest space available...which was the TARDIS and materialized inside of itself."

"That's not supposed to happen is it?" Amy frowned as he moved closer to it, touching the door only to snap his hand back as the wood shocked him, "What are you doing?"

"Absolutely no idea," he breathed, before grabbing the doors and throwing them open, ignoring the sting as the mini-TARDIS tried to shock him again, dashing through them...and stepping out of the larger main doors.

"Uh, ok that is a bit weird."

The Doctor reached back and stuck his arm through the larger doors, waving it out of the smaller doors.

Rory looked over from where he was kneeling before Angel, now on the jump seat, "That is actually pretty cool."

"Oh," the Doctor frowned, stalking back up the stairs towards them, "I'm glad you're entertained Rory, now that were stuck here for all eternity. At least you won't be bored."

"Wait, what?" Amy ran after him, "We're _stuck_?"

The Doctor looked at Angel, not even needing the sonic to know that her connection to the TARDIS was what was affecting her so much, "The inside of the TARDIS is now joined to the outside of the TARDIS. Worse than a time loop, a space loop. Nothing can enter or leave this ship ever again," he swallowed hard, knowing that the longer they were there, the worse Angel would get.

Angel suddenly hunched over with a cry of pain, opening her eyes to reveal swirls of the Vortex within them, her skin starting to ripple with soft waves of the energy as well...just as the larger doors opened and a _second_ Amy walked in, "Ok kids, this is where it gets complicated."

"Who the hell are you?" Amy turned to the other her.

Rory didn't even look over as he tried to rub Angel's back, trying to get her to breathe, his other hand resting on her knee. He could see whatever was wrong with the TARDIS was _hurting_ her, worse yet, he could see that it might be hurting the baby as well. He felt _awful_. This was _all his fault_ , if he hadn't insisted on working on the TARDIS instead of Angel then he never would have been holding the thermo-coupling that he dropped, this never would have happened. Angel wouldn't be hurting.

His thoughts were cut off when Angel reached out and grabbed his hand as it rested on her knee, squeezing it, whether knowing where his mind had gone and trying to stop him thinking that or just needing comfort he didn't know, but he squeezed her hand back, his heart racing, hoping the Doctor could work out what had happened and help her!

"I'm you from your future!" the second Amy smiled.

"Doctor..." Angel groaned.

"Tell me exactly what's happened," the Doctor turned to the second Amy, his hearts starting to pound at the pain in Angel's voice, "Quickly!" he snapped when the second Amy was silent. All he could hear in his mind was 'help Angel, help Angel, helpAngelhelpAngelhelpAngel...' over and over...

~oOo~

_"Mr. Connolly..." he said warningly, not about to let anyone get in the way of him saving Angel. If the man didn't let Tommy talk...well...he could scarcely be held responsible for his actions._

_"Shut your face, you...whoever you are, we can handle this ourselves," Eddie glared at him, him stiffening, about ready to punch the man when he turned back to his son, "Listen you, little twerp. You're hardly out of the bloomin' cradle, so I don't expect you to understand. But I've got a position to maintain. People round here respect me. It MATTERS what people THINK."_

_His fists clenched, his hearts racing so fast he was sure they would beat out of his chest. He could hear them pounding in his ears, his breathing coming in labored as he began to shake. His mind was racing but all he could hear was Help Angel. Save her. Save his Mate. Help AngelSave herSave his Mate. HelpAngelsavehersavehisMate. Over and over and over in his mind, growing stronger with every beat of his hearts..._

_He needed to DO something!_

~oOo~

"The exterior shell of the TARDIS has drifted forwards in time," the second Amy hurried to explain, "If you step into the box now, you step inside the control room a tiny bit into the past."

"I don't understand," Amy held up a hand to slow down her explanation.

"Neither do I."

"But you just said it!"

"No, I'm just _repeating_ it. I'm just remembering what I heard myself saying when I was standing where you are now and repeating it. I'm just repeating this too, and this, and this…"

"I still don't understand."

"You still don't."

"Oi!" Rory cut in as Angel started wheezing, her other hand clutching at the center of her chest, the gold rippling more, "Get on with it!"

"Ok, right," the Doctor nodded, shaking his head quickly to try and focus on what was happening and what he could to do stop it instead of how much pain Angel was clearly in and how much it was terrifying him to see her so hurt...if he could stop it, she'd be fine again. He turned to the second Amy, "When does this Amy step inside the box? We need to maintain the timeline."

"Ah, as soon as she slapped Rory," the second Amy answered.

Amy nodded, very ok with that, "Ok."

"No," Rory frowned up at her, "Why do I get slapped?"

He really didn't mind it, actually, getting slapped, _if_ it would save Angel, help her, but if Amy was slapping him just as a joke or just for the sake of slapping him... _that_ he had an issue with. Because that was just a waste of time that could be spent helping Angel!

"Chain of events..." Angel ground out.

"Shh," Rory turned to her, pushing a lock of hair behind her ears, somewhere in the back of his mind wondering why HE was the only one trying to comfort her, "Don't speak..."

He didn't even notice the Doctor frowning at him, having seen that little action before he shook his head, wincing as he closed his eyes at the sight, "We have to stick to the established chain of events. One mistake and the whole timeline could collapse. We'd end up with two Amy Pond's forever! And then what would you do?"

"Go absolutely barking mad," Rory muttered to Angel, trying to make her laugh.

Amy let out a mock-offended noise and slapped him upside the head, succeeding in getting Angel to let out a small laugh despite the tears in her eyes.

"Ok," the Doctor grabbed Amy's arm, leading her down to the smaller box, that would have to do, he wasn't going to risk waiting for Amy to really slap Rory, a slap on the back of the head was good enough for him and had better be good enough for the timelines or he'd be very cross, "You into the police box, now!"

"What, and then I become her?" Amy nodded at her second self.

"Yes, go, go, go!"

Amy moved to enter, but glanced at herself, "Do I _really_ look like that?"

"Yeah, yeah you do," the second Amy smiled.

"Mmm, I'd give you a driving license."

"Oh I bet you would."

"Amy _go_!" Rory shouted, seeing Angel starting to shake again, scrunching her eyes shut, " _Now_ Amy!"

"Right," Amy nodded, moving to enter again when she had to ask, "What's the first line?"

"Ok, kids this is where it gets complicated," the second Amy reminded her.

"Gotcha," Amy nodded, entering the small doors.

"Hang on," Rory whispered to Angel, squeezing her hand, "It's almost over."

"So, is that it?" the second Amy ran over to them, moving to Angel's side, crouching down to put her hand on Angel's back, rubbing it, wanting to help, "Are you ok?" she asked Angel.

"No," she whimpered.

"No," the Doctor agreed, "We're still trapped."

Amy looked over, frowning when she saw the Doctor at the console, rushing around it instead of fretting over Angel, snapping his hand away from various controls as they sparked, the box humming angrily as though noticing the same thing...but...she could see something else. He WAS worried, just as worried as they were...no...MORE worried. She could see it in his face, in his expression, in how jerky he was moving, how frantically...he was more worried than the two of them combined and...he wasn't looking at Angel. Every time his gaze neared her, he would jerk it away, as though looking at her was too painful...as though it would only serve to make him more panicked and, knowing that it wouldn't help, he was trying to avoid that.

"No," Angel shook her head, pulling Amy's attention back, "I mean... _no_!" she hunched over, curling in on herself, as the large doors opened again and third Amy and second Rory entered.

"Seriously?!" Rory nearly shouted, nearly at his wit's end about this, the golden hue was stronger now, not just rippling in a soft manner but moving in waves around Angel.

"What are you doing?!" the Doctor demanded, spinning to the new duo that had entered.

"You told us to get into the police box," the second Rory tried to explain as quickly as he could, "Well, from your point of view, you're _about_ to tell us to get into the police box. From _our_ point of view, you just told us to get into the police box. Which is why we got into the police box. Which is why we're here…"

"Do I have to remember all of that?" Rory stared at him, "No, do I have to SAY all that?" what a waste of time!

"It sort of just happens. And yeah, gotta stick to the timelines..."

"Hi!" the second Amy waved to herself.

"Hi!" the third waved back, seeing a small smile on the second her's face that she knew meant she was just trying to lighten the situation.

"Oi!" both Rorys shouted, worried for Angel who was actually _crying_ now.

"Stop that!" the Doctor agreed, seeing that as well, grabbing the second Amy, "You two," and pulling Rory up and away from Angel, "Into the police box, now, run!"

"So what now?" the third Amy called as the others disappeared, the Doctor kneeling by Angel, his hearts racing.

"Angel," he whispered, taking her head in his hands, his hearts breaking to see the absolute agony on her face, "Just hold on," he told her softly, turning to look at the Ponds as they took a step towards them, "You two stay where you are!" he shouted at them, jumping up and turning to the console.

"What are you doing?" the second Rory demanded, seeing him turning _away_ from Angel as she trembled, the gold swirling around her.

"I'm setting up a controlled temporal implosion. It's the only way to reset the TARDIS. But unless I find exactly the right lever to control the implosion…we're all going to die."

"You don't know which lever?" the third Amy gave him a look.

"No…" he smiled, "But I'm about to find out," he winced, realizing what this would mean, "Sorry Angel."

Angel actually let out a muffled scream as the gold began to swarm around her, the girl starting to glow now as the large doors opened and a second Doctor ran in.

"The wibbly lever!" he shouted.

"The wibbly lever!" the Doctor pulled it, "Thank you!" and darted into the other TARDIS.

The second Rory didn't bother waiting a second longer, running over to Angel's side as the box inside the console room started to fade, breathing a sigh of relief as the gold started to dim around Angel as well, actually pulsing with the wheezing noises as it lessened...

"Ok!" the second Doctor cheered, "We're back in normal flight! The TARDIS is no longer inside itself, the localized time field is no longer about to implode and rip a hole in all causality. But, just in case…" he looked at Amy, "Pond put some trousers on," before making his way to the console, "You alright?" he asked Angel, about to reach out to put a hand on her shoulder, when Rory helped her stand and seemed to almost tug her away from him.

"F-fine," Angel's voice trembled as she shook in Rory's arms, leaning heavily on her companion, which...for some reason he couldn't fathom...made his jaw clench at the sight when all Rory was doing was being a good companion and offering her support.

"I'm gonna take her to the med-bay," Rory told him, "Check her out."

"Good," the Doctor nodded, "Right, yes," he turned to the console, needing something to distract him from the...disappointment...he felt in the fact that Rory was going to make sure Angel was ok. Something about that didn't sit right with him, something about that felt...wrong...like it shouldn't be RORY doing that, "I'll finish up here and..." he trailed off, looking at his hand as it rested on a lever, lifting it up to eye it closely, it was shaking...he curled his hand into a fist, trying to still it, "Come check in later," he finished.

Rory nodded, leading Angel off to the stairs to the halls, frowning as he felt her shaking in his arms still.

He would later find that she was ultimately alright, shaken, yes, very tired, of course, but she was fine and so was the baby which they were both SO thankful for...in fact...he'd even been able to manage an ultrasound of the little bundle. Too soon to tell the sex though but proof enough that there was something there, a little life inside her.

Angel had smiled when he offered her the photo to keep, but she'd just curled his own fingers around it, saying she knew her baby was there, and this way...Uncle Rory would too.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How many of you LOVED Rory here? I know I did, how he actually took notice of Angel and snapped at Amy to get on with it, tried to make Angel laugh, and worried about the baby. Gotta love Uncle Rory ^-^ And the Doctor freaked out just a little didn't he? We saw a bit of the 'Mating instinct' pop up in how desperate he was to work out what happened and fix it. And he was shaking by the end of it :) Awww :)
> 
> But for all the possible feels out there...I feel I should warn...the next chapter will devastate you in more ways than one }:D But despite that, I also hope you all enjoy this story as much as you did ATF :) 
> 
> And on that note of the next chapter, it's time for the pyramid! Woo! Just to refresh, my 'pyramid' is the 3 episodes I'm super-excited about because I think something happens in them that is important to Angel's story or even her relationship with the Doctor. The 2, is my most looked forward to 2-parter episode either because something happens in it or it's just my favorite episodes lol. And the 1 is the episode that I liked least and probably struggled with so if it's really bad, that's why. So here it is:
> 
> 3...The Doctor's Wife, The Girl Who Waited, The Wedding(?) of River Song  
> 2...The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon  
> 1...The Curse of the Black Spot (I have no idea why, I just couldn't get into that episode)


	2. The Impossible Astronaut: Utah

Doors burst open with a clang as a man in restoration garb stalked through them, shoving a servant away as he passed, "Out of my way!" he cried, grabbing the knobs on a second set of doors, pushing on them, but the doors were locked, "Doctor!" he banged on them, "Doctor! Doctor!" he finally burst through the door, his sword drawn, with two other guards behind him. He looked over to see pile of the Doctor's clothes on a table beside a selection of painting supplies and finally over to a painting of the Doctor himself, in a god-like pose, in the clouds, holding a trident in his right hand with his left on his hip, a red swath of cloth _barely_ protecting his modesty, "Where's the Doctor?!" he demanded, eyeing a young woman standing off to the side with a paintbrush in hand.

She laughed nervously, "Doctor who?"

And then there was a muffled sneeze.

The man's eyes narrowed as he used the tip of his sword to lift the hem of the young woman's dress, a rather naked Doctor glancing up from under it, "You know, this isn't _nearly_ as bad it looks."

~8~

Rory put the groceries he and Amy had just bought on a counter of their kitchen as Amy read the tale from a red book, "'At the personal intervention of the King, the unnamed 'Doctor' was incarcerated, without trial, in the Tower of London.'"

"Ok, but it doesn't have to be him," Rory remarked.

"'According to contemporary accounts, two nights later a magical sphere some twenty feet across was seen floating away from the Tower, bearing the mysterious Doctor aloft.'"

"Ok, it's him. And Angel, someone has to bail him out of trouble."

"There's more…"

~8~

A sweating man in a white tank top and green pants crawled through a tunnel towards a hole at the end, "Doctor! Doctor what can you see?"

The Doctor dropped his head over from a hole above the tunnel to look at him upside down, dressed in much the same outfit, as dirty and sweaty, "Is the Commandant's office painted a sort of green color with a big flag on the wall?" alarms blared, "I think the answer's probably yes…"

Before the man could reply, the Doctor was yanked up through the hole as someone shouted.

~8~

Amy closed the book as she and Rory laid out on the sofa, watching a movie on the telly, shaking her head as she read about how the Doctor had been locked in a cell, only for the captors to find it empty the next morning, the warden claiming to have heard a wheezing sound and gone to check to find the Doctor and the other man gone.

"It's like he's being deliberately ridiculous," she remarked, "Trying to attract our attention," Rory, however, laughed at the movie, "Are you watching this again?" she looked over at Laurel and Hardy's 'Sons of the Desert' playing.

"Yeah, I've explained the jokes," he nodded, when the doorbell rang and Amy got up to answer it, "So what are you saying?" he called out as she went to another part of the house, "You really think he's back there trying to wave to us out of a history book?" he sat up and leaned over to pick up the red book, not seeing the Doctor appear on the telly, a fez on his head, and waving at him from the movie.

"It's the sort of thing he'd do," she agreed, walking into the room with a stack of mail.

"Yeah but why?" he shook his head, neither of them seeing the Doctor dancing on screen, "I mean, Angel's gonna have to get him out of all that, and she shouldn't have to deal with all that stress."

Amy looked at him curiously, "You know you make a lot of comments like that."

"What?"

"Angel. How she should relax or slow down or something. Do you know something?"

He shook his head quickly, "Nope, just saying. It can't be easy to have to watch the Doctor all that time. And we probably don't even know half of what he's gotten up to."

Honestly, he knew he should probably feel guilty about keeping Angel's pregnancy a secret from his wife, given everything they'd seen, they'd promised to always be honest with each other. The Doctor lied enough for everyone on the planet, they didn't want to lie to each other too. But...really...it wasn't exactly lying, he just...wasn't telling her something. And Angel _trusted him_ with the secret of her pregnancy. He wouldn't betray that, not for anything, not even...not even for Amy. Angel was...special to him, in a different way than Amy was special to him. Amy was his wife, Angel was his Pilot. It was like Amy was with the Doctor, if he asked her to keep something from him, Amy would probably do it, gripe about it, try to hint at it, but she'd keep it from him. Really though, a large part of why he didn't say, besides it having to do with Angel's trust in him, was that...it made him feel closer to her, like the pregnancy had given them more to bond over, creating a stronger friendship like the one Amy and the Doctor had.

He wouldn't give that up for anything.

Angel really was the best friend he'd ever had, the best Pilot (not that he'd really had another Pilot), and truly very much like a sister to him, an older sister who was always looking out for him. He'd already started to think of the baby as his niece/nephew!

"Well, we'll find out when we see them again," Amy shrugged, leaving it for now, "He said they'd be in touch."

"Two months ago," he reminded her.

It had been Angel that had gotten the Doctor to drop them off after their honeymoon, wanting to give them time alone to just be a married couple without the death defying adventures and running, just a few months to enjoy themselves in peace and quiet. Which had been a nice gesture at the time though now...even HE had to admit he did miss the TARDIS and seeing Angel every day and the adventures. It was actually...fun...or at least it was to him when Angel was there to keep an eye on everything. He found he worried less...still worried, of course he did, his wife and pregnant sister were in the middle of the dangers too...but worried less because he trusted Angel and her abilities, she'd kept them all safe in the past and he couldn't see that changing in the future.

Amy opened a dark blue envelope at the bottom of the stack of mail she'd sorted through, "Two months is nothing, he's up to something, I know he is. I know him," she pulled out a paper from the envelope and stared at it.

_Mr. & Mrs. Williams_  
_22/04/2011_  
_16:30 MDT_  
_378-08-388* N, 1108-148-348* W_

"What is it?" Rory looked up when Amy fell silent, "Amy?"

She stepped closer, looking at the letter, "A date, a time, a map reference. I think it's an invitation."

"From who?"

"It's not signed. Look," she held up the envelope with a small smirk, "TARDIS blue," she tossed it at Rory.

~8~

A similar envelope landed on the bed of a prison cell and one River Song reached down to pick it up, opening it and smiling as she saw the contents.

_Dr. River Song_  
_22/04/2011_  
_16:30 MDT_  
_378-08-388* N, 1108-148-348* W_

She laughed, practically buzzing in excitement before she turned to grab a sack out from under her bed...

~8~

Alarms blared as men raced down the halls of Stormcage, past a guard on a phone, "You'd better get down here, sir. She's doing it again. Dr. Song, sir. She's...packing. Says she's going to some planet called...America."

~8~

A yellow school bus drove down a dusty road in Utah's Monument Valley, stopping to let Amy and Rory off, both carrying rather large backpacks, "Thanks!" Amy smiled at the driver.

"You're welcome!" he replied, shutting the door.

"This is it yeah?" Amy looked around as the bus drove off, "Right place?"

"Uh, nowhere, middle of," Rory shrugged, neither noticing Angel standing right behind them, having been hidden by the side of the bus, a black, western style vest with tassels on over her blue dress, wearing a TARDIS blue cowboy hat to go with her black cowboy boots, a red 1960s station wagon parked on the other side of the road behind her, "Yeah, this is it."

"Howdy!" she cheered with a rather good impersonation of Jack's American accent on, making them jump.

"Angel!" Amy gasped, spinning around to hug her, SO happy to see her after so long.

"Amy," Angel smiled warmly, hugging her tightly.

"So the Doctor's been a busy boy then, eh?"

Angel rolled her eyes, "Did you _see_ him? He was being completely ridiculous."

"That's what Amy said," Rory smiled.

"Rory the Roman," she beamed, hugging him as well. He squeezed her tight, actually lifting her off the ground a bit as he hugged her, which made her laugh and him smile to hear it. He missed her laugh, he missed _her_.

Rory pulled away and looked at the top of her head, laughing at the sight of what was resting on top of it, he'd never really seen Angel in a hat before, "Nice hat."

"Oi!" she nudged him playfully, poking him in the stomach, making him squirm back, "Don't knock it, Stetson's are cool."

"You've been spending _way_ too much time with the Doctor," Amy laughed, "You're starting to sound like him!"

Angel had _just_ started laughing at that...

When the hat was shot off her head by a bullet.

Angel tensed, looking back over her shoulder to see River eyeing her coolly, "Angel," River greeted, absently running a finger along the barrel of her gun.

She nodded back, "River."

Rory frowned and looked between them, hearing a change of tone in Angel's voice, she'd gone quiet and...sad...

~8~

Angel sat across from Rory in a small diner as Amy and River went to get a bite to eat at the counter and he looked at her closely, "What happened?" he asked her in a whisper so as not to be heard by the others, "Not to sound rude, but…you're _thin_ ," Angel looked down at her very-flat stomach with a solemn expression, "Angel..." he reached out to take her hand, "Did something happen?"

She nodded sadly, "I um..." she cleared her throat, "Everything was fine, you know, it...it was hard, but, in the end it was happening, it was _actually_ happening...but..." she swallowed hard, "She just..." she looked away, blinking quickly to try and keep the tears from falling, not wanting the others to see her crying, to ask questions, not wanting to deal with the smug look in River's eye that she knew would be there, she didn't doubt that River probably knew of the fate of her baby, "I only held her for an hour...and she was gone."

Rory let out a breath, feeling like he'd been punched in the gut at the words. The baby, it was a _girl_ , his sister had had a baby girl, he had a niece...and she'd died. He'd seen it happen so often in the hospital, more often than he ever wanted, all sorts of births. Live births, stillbirths, births where there didn't appear to be anything physically wrong, where the baby looked _perfect_ , but just...there was a heart problem or a brain problem and it just...didn't make it. He would _never ever_ wish that fate on anyone and he _knew_ how important that baby was to Angel, he'd seen it himself how _terrified_ she was of losing the baby, to be confronted with that, to realize it had happened...he couldn't imagine the pain she had been in and must still be in. That wasn't something a woman ever got over. He could only hope that he had been there in some way. He got the feeling this Angel was from the future, her hair was longer, she seemed older, how far he didn't know, at least 2 or 3 years if she was able to carry the baby to term till just near the end. He hoped he had been there for her, but...maybe, now that he knew something was wrong or something _would_ be wrong with the baby, he could try and find out what, try and help her, try and save his little niece.

He squeezed her hand tightly, "I'm _so_ sorry Angel."

Before Angel could speak, could thank him for his sympathies, Amy sat down beside her, "So…where's the Doctor?" she looked around as though he were about to walk through the door.

Angel shook her head, putting on a smile Rory KNEW was fake, "He's wandering around a museum," she gave a small laugh, "You know how he can get. I sort of nicked the TARDIS and wanted to see you all. He won't even notice I'm gone for another half hour at least, and then he'll probably spend an hour or two trying to find me."

Amy laughed, thinking about that and the TARDIS, apparently the TARDIS was that red car that had been behind Angel. She'd fixed whatever it was that made it look like a police box, which she knew must have irritated the Doctor quite a bit.

River stepped over just then and sat down next to Rory, "So where are we?" she asked tersely, pulling out her diary, wanting to get an idea of the events she shouldn't speak of, an idea of the events to come for Angel and the Doctor (and her) that she might be able to use to her advantage, "Easter Island?"

"Yeah."

River smirked, "They _worshiped_ the Doctor there, do you remember?" and gave her an appraising look, "And they thought _you_ brought the plague."

Rory frowned at that, that was rather rude. He couldn't imagine any species blaming Angel for a plague.

Angel's lips just pursed a bit, but she had to remember where River was in her timeline, "Yes, I remember. We did Jim the Fish as well if it helps."

She nodded, "How is he?"

"Still working on his dam."

"Sorry, what are you doing?" Rory cut in, looking at River's journal, guessing that Angel just had a better memory and didn't need one, being psychic and all, she probably had a better recollection of time.

"They're time travelers," Amy answered, "But they never meet in the right order. River's syncing her diary with Angel and the Doctor's timeline. So what's happening then?" Amy looked at Angel, "'Cos you and the Doctor _have_ to have been up to something."

"The Doctor…" Angel began slowly, careful with her words, "He's been running, faster than he's ever run in his whole life. And…" she swallowed, "I've been with him for a _long_ while now, but..." she shook her head, "I just... _can't_...anymore," she looked at Rory, catching sight of River's victorious smirk and Amy's concerned look out of the corner of her eye. Rory just nodded, guessing why she was stopping, "But I'm going to need you all to help me with something first."

"Ok…" Amy said slowly, eyeing her, feeling very...sad that Angel wanted to stop travelling with the Doctor, she had been there when Angel had only taken a break and the man had nearly fallen apart and now she was thinking of quitting entirely. This would NOT end well, but still...Angel needed help, and she'd do it...she'd help...and then go find the Doctor and have him go after Angel and get her back.

"What do you need us to do?" Rory asked, serious, understanding completely why this was happening, "We'll do anything."

"Come on a picnic with me," she smiled sadly, "And then...you need to take a trip."

"Where?"

"Space. 1969."

~8~

The four of them were sitting at a beautiful lake where the moon was clear in the sky, on picnic blankets, the red car-which-was-actually-the-TARDIS parked behind them.

"Salute!" Angel held up a bottle of wine.

"Salute!" they clinked their glasses together.

"So when are we going to 1969?" Rory looked at Angel as she poured herself a small glass of wine as well.

"And since when do _you_ drink wine?" Amy eyed her, "I don't think I've ever seen you drink anything alcoholic come to think of it."

Rory winced, knowing precisely why Angel hadn't ever had anything alcoholic in the time she'd known them and watched Angel as she tensed, her hand nearly dropping to her stomach before she shifted it to her side, pretending like she was intending to push herself up a bit more, "I'm 996," she told Amy, "A lot's changed," she took a small sip of wine and looked out sadly at the lake.

"996?" Amy blinked, startled by that, "You were 801 last time we saw you!"

"Like you said. The Doctor and I've been busy."

Amy frowned at that, it wasn't like Angel to brush questions off and not answer, usually the Doctor did that and Angel would answer for him. She sighed and looked over at the landscape, catching sight of an alien form standing on a small ledge which made her squint against the sun to see it, "Who's that?"

"Hmm?" Rory looked at her, "What do you see?"

Amy looked at Rory, "Sorry, what?"

Angel glanced over at her and back at the same ledge, closing her eyes a moment, only River seeming to see her heartbroken expression and smirk at it.

"What did you see? You said you saw something."

Amy took a sip of her wine, "No, I didn't."

"Isn't the moon beautiful?" Angel murmured, opening her eyes to look at it, "You humans," she shook her head fondly, a small, sad smile on her face, "You were captivated from the moment you saw it. Quite right too. Just had to go explore it, learn more about it," she grew distant as she looked at it, "I loved that about you, your drive, your curiosity…"

"The moon landing was in '69," Rory realized, cutting into her thoughts just a bit, not liking the sound of her tone, how...final and...in the past tense it was, "Is that where we're going?"

Angel's fond look faded to an almost...resigned one, "No, more will happen in 1969 than you or anyone remembers Rory," she looked at him and he frowned, seeing tears in her eyes, but she looked back at the lake before he could see for sure if he was imagining it or not, "Human beings. I've saved so many of you...I always thought...I'd always be there to save more of you…"

"What do you mean?" Rory frowned, hearing her last words.

Before she could answer a car stopped quite a few feet behind them. They looked back, Angel standing up as an old man stepped out. Angel gave him a small wave which he returned with a solemn nod of his head. But, while Amy was looking at the man, Rory was looking at Angel's expression, resigned, tired, and _scared_.

"Who's he?" Amy looked at Angel, startled, not having expected anyone else.

River stood with a gasp, looking at the lake instead, "Oh my God..."

Amy turned to look, all of them getting up as they saw an astronaut suit standing in the water.

Angel swallowed hard, nodding to her self as she took a breath, "Stay here," she took a few steps forward, "Whatever happens... _don't_ interfere. Ok?" she looked at them a moment before walking straight over to the astronaut.

"That's an astronaut," Rory breathed to Amy, "That's an Apollo astronaut in the lake."

"Yeah," she nodded, watching Angel closely.

Angel walked up to stand before the astronaut, looking at the ground with tears in her eyes. She closed them a moment before looking up, trying to be brave, "I worked it out, I know it's you," the visor lifted, "Not the Doctor here, I know..."

The small group stood, watching as Angel spoke to the astronaut quietly, gesturing at something in the astronaut's hand before looking down, her eyes closed.

The astronaut slowly raised its arm.

"What's she doing?" Rory frowned, his heart starting to race.

A moment later...the astronaut fired, shooting Angel in the chest with a single shot, sending her stumbling back.

"No!" Rory gasped, trying to run to help Angel.

"Angel!" Amy shouted as well, jerking forward.

"Amy, no!" River grabbed her, pulling her back with an arm around her waist as she grabbed Rory's arm with her other hand, "Rory stay back!"

The astronaut shot again, striking Angel's other heart and she fell to the ground, struggling to get up, making Amy and Rory twist more, needing to get to her, needing to help her!

"She said to stay back!"

"No!" Rory struggled, "Let me go! I _have_ to help her!"

"We have to stay back!" River tightened her grip on Rory, Amy more stilled in complete shock, as they watched Angel stand, a glowing energy starting to sweep across her body.

Angel looked over at them, tears in her eyes as she tried to offer them a smile, tried to comfort them, and that was so her, "I'm sorry," she breathed, her words carrying to them on the wind before she threw her head back and the energy burst out of her...

Only for the astronaut to fire once more.

Angel fell back onto the ground, onto her side...and didn't get up, the glow gone.

"Angel!" Amy shrieked.

"No!" Rory screamed, pushing away from River, actually making the woman stumble, as he and Amy ran to Angel's side, dropping to their knees as the astronaut turned and walked into the lake, River slowly walking after them towards Angel's body.

"Angel, please!" Amy pleaded, sobbing over the girl, shaking at the brutal act they'd just witnessed.

River pulled out a device from her pocket and held it over Angel to scan her, but only got a flat line noise.

"No," Rory shook his head, knowing what that sound meant and not wanting to believe he was really hearing THAT, "No!"

River said nothing as she straightened, simply glancing at the astronaut as it disappeared into the lake, her hand resting on the gun on her belt but made no move to pull it out.

The old man walked closer, holding a tank of gas, when River turned around and looked at Amy sitting beside Angel, sobbing, while Rory sat holding the dead woman's hand, trying to hold the tears in his eyes as he looked at her, frozen in true shock.

"River she _can't_ be dead," Amy shook her head, "This isn't possible."

"Whatever that was, it killed her before her regeneration cycle could start up," River explained, her voice flat, "She simply didn't make it to the next body."

"Maybe she's a clone?" Rory looked up, hopeful, "Or a duplicate or something, like I was."

"Maybe I can save you some time," the old man said, taking off his hat in respect, "That most certainly is the Angel. And she is most certainly _dead_ ," he sighed, "I'm sorry," and looked at River, "She said you'd need this," he set the gas can down.

"Gasoline?" Rory eyed it.

"A Time Lord's body is a miracle," River replied, "Even a dead one. There are whole empires out there that would rip this world apart for just one cell. We can't leave her there. Or anywhere."

Amy leaned over, "Wake up! Come on, wake up! You bloody martyr!" she shook Angel hard, as though it could rouse her, "Angel please! You can't go!" but Angel didn't move, "What do we do Rory?"

But Rory was silent, just...staring at Angel's unmoving form, looking completely lost, as though his world were falling to pieces. It was an expression Amy had seen on his face when his grandmother had died, it was the expression that was always there when someone he cared deeply for died. And that was Angel, she knew he cared for her, loved her like a sister...and now...to actually SEE her die, to see her be killed right in front of him...he was _devastated_.

"We're their…friends. We do what the Doctor's friends always do," River lifted the gas can, "As we're told."

Rory winced at that, at how River could be so cavalier about this, how she could talk about _burning Angel's body_ like it was just a lump of wood, how she was _still_ talking about _the Doctor_ , how _the Doctor_ would want them to do this...not Angel. He took a shaky breath, but Angel _had_ brought them there. And...if she had told that man to bring gas...she wanted this done as well. He blinked and looked around, a faint ringing in his ears, the world looking distorted, blurry, and he realized he was crying. He reached up, wiping his eyes, when he spotted an old boat on the shore, halfway around the lake.

"There's a boat," he whispered, pushing himself up to face River, "If we're gonna do this, we do it properly. With honor and respect."

River stared him down a long while and he realized she would be just as happy to burn Angel right there rather than to give her a proper funeral and narrowed his eyes till River sighed and nodded, stepping aside to let him go get the boat.

~8~

That night, they stood by the lakeside, watching as Angel's body burned in the boat. Rory standing halfway in the water, having insisted HE be the one to send her adrift, he was her brother after all. He hadn't moved since then, the water was freezing, but he couldn't feel it. He couldn't feel much of anything really just...numbness as he stared...watching the flames, with tears streaming down his face, before he sniffled and turned, slowly walking out of the water and over to Amy, who immediately hugged him, holding her close, needing the comfort.

River glanced over at the old man, "Who are you? Why did you come?"

"Same reason as you," he pulled out his own blue envelope as Amy and Rory looked over. River looked at it, seeming actually stunned that the man had one as well, before pulling out her own and looking at the numbers that had been written on the back of it, "Dr. Song. Amy. Rory," the man greeted, "I'm Canton Edward Delaware the Third. I won't be seeing you again, but you'll be seeing me," he put his hat on and gave them a nod, leaving with the gas can as River watched.

River spun around, holding up his envelope, "Three."

"Sorry, what?" Rory asked.

"Angel numbered the envelopes."

~8~

The three of them walked towards the diner, River still trying to make sense of it all, "You got two, I was four, Mr. Delaware was three."

"So?" Rory shook his head, not seeing what was so important about that, how would numbers change what happened?!

"So, where's one?"

"What, you think Angel invited someone else?" they walked past a stunned Amy who had stopped to lean against the bike racks by the door.

"Well she must have. She planned all of this to the last detail and believe me when I say Angel would know if there was something missing."

Rory stared at her, that was as close to a compliment as he had ever heard the woman give, but...what she was saying...she was implying that there was more to it, that...Angel knew this was coming and if she planned for it...maybe there was a way to save her! Which made him frown...why was River now so suddenly eager to save _Angel_? He certainly got the impression from her words at the lake that she didn't care for the Time Lady.

"Will you two shut up?" Amy breathed, "It doesn't matter."

"She was up to something."

"She's still dead."

"Space, 1969. What did she mean?"

"You're still talking but it doesn't matter."

"Hey, it mattered to her," Rory stepped over to her, "So it matters to _me_."

"She's dead," she whispered.

She didn't know how Rory was able to hold himself together as it was _his_ Pilot who had died. She supposed it had something to do with being a nurse, with seeing people dying on operating tables or from accidents, being able to distance himself from a situation if given enough time. But she hadn't had that experience, she hadn't seen anyone die in front of her like that. But she knew, it was _hope_ , he was hoping that, somehow, Angel would find a way back, a way to have saved herself.

"But she still needs us," Rory said, looking away sadly.

"I know, Amy, I know," River walked over and put an arm around her shoulder, "But right now we have to focus. Whatever she was planning, it must have had something to do with the Doctor," it had to have, Angel wasn't wearing the Dampening Bracelet...which meant that the Doctor HAD to have it! Angel would never risk the Doctor's life like that. And if he had it, if he was still wearing it...then he was alive, and alone, and if she could just get to him...

Her thoughts were cut off by Amy's rather audible scoff. The ginger just shook her head, moving past her sorrow to...annoyance...really. Leave it to River to make it about the Doctor.

Rory seemed to share her sentiments as he stalked off towards the diner's entrance at River's words, NOW realizing why River was so interested in what had happened to Angel, she clearly thought the same fate might await the Doctor. But how could it? Angel had gone to face that...thing...and if she'd gone to do that, maybe it meant that it was after the Doctor and she'd stopped it, taken his place or something. He closed his eyes a moment, hardly able to breathe at the reminder that she was gone. She'd been so...willing...it seemed. She'd just walked right up to that astronaut, hadn't even used the Vortex to stop it, just...stood there. And he knew why. The baby, that baby was everything to her, and to lose it...he'd seen a woman or two in the hospital who just never recovered from a tragedy like that. Some women just...lost all hope, felt like they had lost everything, like they didn't have anything else to keep them there...especially the women whose husbands had died before the babies were born, it was like they had lost their last links to the men they loved and it killed them inside.

He saw it then, at the lake.

Angel had been far, FAR too willing.

"It's the only reason she'd do something like that," River explained, "To protect him, and if he's in danger then we need to find out what she was doing, why she did that, and…"

"Oh my God!" Rory gasped.

They looked over to see him standing by the glass door of the diner, looking in. They ran over to see, there, sitting in the back of the diner, with what seemed like a pickle in one hand and a jar of jam before her, was _Angel_.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Future Angel... :'( and Future Angel's baby... D':
> 
> I'm so evil aren't I? I scare you all with the previous chapter, and everything's wonderful in the end...and now this...I DID warn you it would devastate you in more ways than one though }:) Here we find out the fate of the baby :( We find out Angel can't keep going with the Doctor any longer :( Angel DIES! :( And the Doctor might still not remember! :O SO MUCH! SO MANY FEELS! lol :)
> 
> The scary thing is...a new episode of Long Island Medium was on when I was writing that part with Angel and Rory in the diner and I had JUST finished writing that the baby looked perfect and all that, and like 2 minutes later she turns to a couple and said something like 'I get the feeling that it was shocking to lose the baby, because he looked perfect, and you wouldn't have thought anything was wrong.' -chills-
> 
> Poor Angel though T.T
> 
> I feel I should also add this, just to get you even more worried, to quote Canton...that IS most certainly Angel and she IS most certainly dead. She is NOT as clever as the Doctor in coming up with a brilliant plan to escape this...this will NOT be like my Academic Series or Lunar Cycle in how they escaped. So what will happen now? }:) We'll have to wait and see }:D Muwah-ha-ha-ha-ha! Mine is an evil laugh! ^-^ ...and I just had to follow that up with an adorable face lol :)


	3. The Impossible Astronaut: Washington, D.C.

Rory opened the door to the diner and ran straight over to her, "Angel!"

"Rory!" Angel beamed, getting out of the booth she was sitting in with just the slightest bit of difficulty, "How are you?"

He didn't answer, just hugged her tightly, though he could feel a bit of a bigger bump against his stomach and nearly sagged and wept in relief, the baby was still there! He hadn't seen it, the bump, what with her flowing dress and, well she seemed to be wearing a new, long-sleeved, black waterfall cardigan that went to an inch or two above the hem of her dress, both of which had hidden that rather well.

River ran past them to the table, not even casting a glance at Angel or stopping to 'hug' her like Amy and Rory were doing, instead snatching up the blue envelope that was in between the jar of jam and a glass of water and opened it, seeing 'Doctor' written on the top of the invitation, the map reference and time different than her own, set for just moments ago and for the diner instead of the road. She looked at the number 1 on the back and let out a breath, realizing who the person Angel trusted most was, who else was there.

She turned to Angel, "This is cold," she glared at the girl, who pulled away from leaning over to hug Amy, careful not to get too close to Amy lest she feel the bump as well, looking back at her rather confused, "I never thought _you_ , of all people, capable, but this is truly _cold_. No," she shook her head, "I DID know you were capable of this, you are capable of FAR _worse_ ," she ended, nearly spitting the words at Angel.

Angel just stared at her, completely befuddled, "I'm not quite sure what you're talking about," she eyed River curiously as the woman's eyes narrowed more, stepping past her to scoop up her jar of jam, dipping the pickle she hadn't let go of in it again and munching on the last half of it.

Just then a door in the back with an Elvis painted on it opened up and the Doctor walked in with a straw in his mouth. He smiled, seeing them, though a bit confused as to why they were all looking at Angel as though stunned to see her there. He didn't know why they'd have that expression on their faces, where else would Angel be but with him? Well, he supposed she could be visiting Jack or Sarah Jane or Mickey and Martha or Donna or...he shook his head, not liking that thought. No, no Angel had already seen Jack a short while (or a year, which really was a short while) ago, she didn't need to see him again. No, Angel would be there too, of course she would, she would be there, with him, where she was meant to be.

"Hello!" he cheered, drawing their attention away as he pointed at them, "Just popped out to get my special straw," he held it up, "It adds more fizz."

Angel shook her head at him, amused. But Rory moved to hug her again, which made her frown in concern, "You're ok…" Rory whispered to her, and she could hear his voice crack with emotion, he was trembling just a bit in her arms as well, worrying her.

"How can you be ok?" Amy shook her head, looking at Angel, completely shocked, ignoring the Doctor for a moment.

The Doctor frowned at them and looked at Angel, who was giving him an equally as confused look over Rory's shoulder, before she shook her head and moved to put her arm around Amy in comfort once Rory let her go, "Of course I'm ok Amy."

She had been _very_ careful this time with the Doctor, the time the Ponds weren't there for, knowing she needed to be more cautious and on guard, especially about the pregnancy. She really was...doing ok. She had been careful, she had been sure to do everything Rory told her she ought to for her pregnancy, with some Time Lord substitutions in, and...she had noticed...a tiny change in the Doctor. With it being just them it was like...he noticed her more, not so much her pregnancy, though he had commented a tiny bit on how she seemed to be putting on a few pounds and slowing up on their travels, but that was it for that. Really, he was more...thoughtful, about her. He let her pilot more, he let her pick the places to go, she'd managed to convince him to visit the other companions too, well, Donna and Martha as he'd said she'd already seen Jack and Sarah Jane, and it was nice. He included her more, talked more TO her instead of AT her unlike he'd done at the start of his regeneration. And...he was a tiny bit more flustered when she dressed up for period trips. She had to be very careful to wear outfits that didn't give away her pregnancy and she was honestly surprised he hadn't noticed it what with how much he stared at her during them.

"She's always ok," the Doctor added with a smile, chewing on his straw, "More than ok, brilliant, wonderful, fantastic!" he laughed, "She's the Queen of ok," and then grimaced a bit, "Oh, that's a rubbish title, forget that title," he stepped forward and hugged Amy, "Amelia Pond!" he laughed and turned to Rory, "Rory the Roman! _That's_ a good title!"

"Oi!" Angel threw the stem of the pickle at him, though she was smiling, he did that too, she'd noticed, complimented her, the time alone had done them both good, even if it still hurt that he didn't remember her, " _I_ thought of it first," and she had, she realized, all the way back in the _Byzantium_ forest when she'd talked with Amy.

The Doctor just waved that off, "Hello Rory!" and hugged him.

Rory just shook his head, stunned, looking confused as well, though immensely relieved, just a mess of emotions really.

The Doctor turned and looked at River, "And Dr. River Song oh, you bad, bad girl, what trouble have you got for me this time?"

River's jaw tensed and she just reached out and slapped him, hard. She had been _itching_ to slap Angel though she didn't doubt that Amy and Rory would have an issue with that, Rory more than Amy for some reason, and Angel was standing between Amy and Rory at the moment, easily defended, so she settled for the Doctor, she needed to get her frustration out on _someone_ and he was the closest at the moment.

"Ok…" he rubbed his cheek, "I'm sure that's for something I haven't done yet…"

"Near enough," River said, glaring at Angel, who frowned, not sure why _she_ was getting glared at all of a sudden, the Doctor was the one who usually got everyone into trouble.

"Good, I'm looking forward to it," he commented, not noticing the direction of River's gaze.

"I don't understand," Rory shook his head, "How can you be here?" he looked at Angel.

"We were invited," Angel replied with a shrug.

The Doctor snatched the envelope out of River's hand, "Date, map reference, same as you lot. I'd assume otherwise but it's a hell of a coincidence."

"River what's going on?" Amy demanded, shaking her head, her thoughts feeling jumbled at all that was happening.

"Amy ask Angel what age she is," River said, knowing Angel was more likely to answer Amy or Rory than her, and...she didn't want to _look_ at the woman right now, let alone _speak_ to her.

"Why?" Angel frowned, very confused as to why everyone kept focusing on her. She'd spent the last near 2 years in the background, the unnoticed, she actually shifted ab it, feeling uncomfortable with how they were staring at her. If they kept that up then they'd start to notice her weight gain and other changes. She tugged her cardigan a bit more in front of her, using the 'waves' of the front to try and block her stomach, thankfully no one seemed to notice the movement.

" _Tell_ her," River replied tensely, spinning to her, "Tell her what age you are!"

"I'm 802," she replied, the Doctor was 909.

That made her about two-thirds of the way through the pregnancy. She had turned 801 shortly before Amy's wedding, and she and the Doctor had been busy the last year or so, she'd just turned 802 recently now that she thought about it. Right now she was in her 3rd month of the last year of the pregnancy, at the start of her third trimester, by Earth terms about 7 months pregnant, and she knew that, soon, her belly would _really_ start to swell to the point where she wouldn't be able to hide it. Luckily, the bump was _just_ able to be hidden under a billowy dress and a layered sweater, but she knew it was only a matter of time before that became too difficult.

"But you said…" Amy shook her head.

"So where does that leave us huh?" River shouted, growing frantic and angry, and just a bit upset working out exactly what was going on and what would happen, "Jim the Fish? Have we done Jim the Fish yet?"

"Who's Jim the Fish?" the Doctor frowned.

"I don't understand," Amy muttered.

"Yeah you do…" Rory looked at her, unable to bring himself to move away from Angel now that he knew she was ok.

" _I_ don't," the Doctor looked at them, "What are we all doing here?"

River glanced at Amy and Rory, an action that Angel and the Doctor both saw, "We've been recruited, something to do with space, 1969…" she turned to the Doctor as he stepped past her, "And a man called Canton Everett Delaware the Third."

"Recruited by who?" the Doctor chewed his straw.

"Someone who trusts you apparently."

He turned around, taking the straw out of his mouth, "And who's that?"

"Spoilers," she smirked.

The Doctor just put the straw in his mouth.

~8~

In the TARDIS, the Doctor ran around the controls, Angel sticking mostly to one side of them while River watched her with narrowed eyes and Amy leaned on the railing, looking at Angel with tears in her eyes, she didn't know why this was hitting HER so much. But she shook her head, no, she knew why. Angel wasn't just Rory's Pilot, her husband's Pilot, she was HER friend too, she was the last of the Doctor's species, and...to see her being shot at, murdered before her eyes so brutally...it hurt. Rory saw death all the time, saw accidents and wounds and victims, she knew it would hit him eventually, that it was ANGEL this time, but for now he was holding it together. Would that she were that strong, she could already feel the tears threatening to fall.

"1969, that's an easy one," the Doctor said, "Funny how some years are easy," he leaned next to Amy, "Now, 1483, _full_ of glitches. Now then," he swung away and Amy turned and walked down the stairs, knowing if he saw her cry he'd get worried and wouldn't stop asking her about it, "Canton Everett Delaware the Third. That was his name yeah?" he ran around to River while Angel put the name in the system, "How many of those can there be?" he turned back to the console, "Well, three. I suppose," River just walked past him and down the stairs where Amy had gone as the Doctor and Angel watched them go.

Angel looked at Rory, "Rory have I done something to upset you all?" she'd noticed River's glares seemed far more pronounced and even _Amy_ had been avoiding her, Rory though seemed not to want to leave her side but he kept looking at her as though he couldn't believe she was standing there, it was worrying her.

"No, no it's just..." he trailed off, not wanting to say 'it was the fact we saw you killed in front of our eyes' to her, not while she still had the baby, not while he still had time to hopefully save it, save her 200 years of mourning the loss of it, "I'll go talk to them," he murmured, heading off to join them below the glass floor, Angel watching him go, sad, while the Doctor looked suspicious.

"Explain it again," Amy shook her head.

"The Angel we saw on the beach was a future version," River replied, "200 years older than the one up there."

"But all that's still gonna happen. She's still going to die."

"We're all going to do that Amy," River sighed, "Everything, all things, must die eventually."

"We're NOT all going to arrange our own wake and invite ourselves," Rory joined them, standing beside River, "So, Angel, in the future, possibly trying to save the Doctor, and knowing she's going to die, recruits hers and the Doctor's younger selves and all of us to...to what exactly?"

"Save her?" Amy asked.

"That's not her style," River muttered darkly. The woman would lay down her life in an instant for other people, not at all caring about herself. Bloody martyr. And worse yet, she knew the exact reaction that the Doctor would have to it, the same reaction he always had when it happened. She swallowed hard, feeling her hands clench into fists, oh she could just imagine what the Doctor would do should he find out about what Angel had done...would do...to save him. And that was more than enough to set her in a rage, because every time that happened...she'd seen it...every single time, it only brought the two closer. The Doctor would be safe, yes, the future Doctor as well as he likely had the Dampening Bracelet, but whenever it happened, afterwards, he'd be safe...but his thoughts would be on Angel.

And that would NOT do at all.

"Well we have to tell them," Amy got up, startling River out of her thoughts.

"We've told them all we can. We can't even tell them we've seen Angel's future self. Angel's interacting with her own past. It could rip a hole in the Universe."

"Except the Doctor's done it before."

"And in fairness, the Universe _did_ blow up," Rory cut in, hoping Angel's interference would be far more delicate and less disruptive than the Doctor's given her abilities.

"She'd want to know."

"Would she?" River shook her head, "Would anyone? What do you think Rory?" she turned to him, "Do you think she'd want to know _everything_?"

Rory frowned as he looked at River, the expression on her face, her words...it made him feel like she knew more than she was letting on. But he had to agree, he couldn't bear to tell Angel she lost the baby in the future. The Angel at the lake had been nearly 200 years older, but Time Lord pregnancies only lasted 3, that was almost 197 years of Angel suffering with that knowledge, reliving that moment, mourning that loss...he couldn't do it. It would break her hearts.

The Doctor popped his head down to hang over the top of the floor, looking at them, "I'm being extremely clever up here and the only one standing around looking impressed is Angel. What's the point in having you all?" he pulled himself up, "I'd be better off with just her!"

River's jaw tensed at that, hearing that last mutter under his breath, "Couldn't you just _slap_ him sometimes?"

"River we _can't_ just let her die," Amy pleaded, "We _have_ to stop it," River looked back, stoic, unmoved, " _How_ can you be ok with this? I mean, I know you hate Angel but…"

"Death, in general, doesn't frighten me, not theirs, not my own. There's a far worse day coming for me," and with that, she turned and headed up the stairs leaving the Ponds little option but to follow.

"Time isn't a straight line," the Doctor said as they returned, "It's all bumpy wumpy."

"Wibbly wobbly, timey wimey," Angel laughed a bit.

Rory walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it as though reassuring himself she was _really_ there, that she was ok. She smiled at him, sensing his distraughtness, and put a hand on his, patting it.

"There's _loads_ of boring stuff like Sundays and Tuesdays and…" he angrily pulled a lever, Angel's smile fading a bit, he still didn't remember her birthday was on a Sunday, in fact...he hadn't wished her a 'Happy Birthday' since he'd regenerated, "Thursday afternoons. But now and then there are Saturdays! Big temporal tipping points where," he walked over to lean on the console by River, smirking at her, which made Angel swallow, seeing River smile flirtatiously back, and turned to go to the keypad, "Anything is possible. TARDIS can't resist them, like a moth to a flame. She loves a party so I give her 1969 and NASA 'cos that's space in the '60s," he walked off around the console, "And Canton Everett Delaware the Third and this…" he moved to type on a keypad when he saw Angel was already on it, "Is where she's pointing."

They crowded around the monitor as Angel flicked it on, "'Washington, D.C., April the 8th, 1969?'" Amy read, "So why haven't we landed?"

"'Cos that's not where we're going."

"Why?" Rory frowned, "Where are we going?"

"Home! We'll you two are. Off you pop and make babies and you, Dr. Song, back to prison," he walked away, around the console, "And us! We're late," he hit a button, "For a biplane lesson in 1911. Or it could be knitting. Angel mentioned she wanted to take a knitting lesson, so knitting or biplanes one or the other," he plopped down on the jump seat, crossing his leg and putting a hand to his face, over his eyes, while Angel flicked a few switches and watched the group walk over to him. He dropped his hand when they were before him, "What? A mysterious summons you think we're just going to _go_?"

"Who sent the messages?" Angel asked, walking over and looking at them, "I know you know, I can sense it," and she could, she could sense they were lying, that they knew, never try to fool a psychic. The only thing she didn't know was who had sent them, but her stomach twisted painfully at the thought, she remembered a part of her dream, the dream that had happened nearly a year ago, that blue envelope...the same one the Doctor had opened the doors of the TARDIS to find stuck to the instruction panel.

She swallowed hard, knowing what it meant, the vision was about to happen.

"Don't play games with us. Don't ever, _ever_ think you're capable of that."

"You're going to have to trust us this time," River replied simply, as though she expected him to do that off the bat.

"Trust you?" the Doctor eyed her, starting to frown when he saw Angel turn away and move to the back of the console, "Sure," he got up, "But first of all, Dr. Song, just one thing. Who are you? You're someone from my future, I'm getting that, but who?" no reply, "Ok. Why are you in prison? Who did you kill? Hmm? Now I love a bad girl, me, but trust you? Seriously?" he let out a small laugh, looking at her intently, "Angel doesn't trust you," he added, "And I've learned, if _Angel_ doesn't trust someone, it's for a very, VERY good reason," he watched as River's expression fell into a near scowl at that, "I trust her, more than anyone."

"Trust _me_ , then," Amy stepped forward, seeing River growing agitated and wanting to avoid a fight, after everything that had happened, the LAST thing she wanted was shouting and arguing.

The Doctor looked at River a bit longer before turning away and walking over to Amy, "Ok," he stood before her.

"You _have_ to do this and you _can't_ ask why."

"Are you being threatened? Is someone making you say that?"

"No."

"Are you lying?"

"No," Angel called, making her way around the console and back to them, "She isn't."

The Doctor nodded, taking her word at face value, showing them all just how much he implicitly trusted her, but given that he knew Angel hadn't had a vision about this, he had to add, "Swear to us, swear to me on something that matters."

Amy looked at them, "Fish fingers and custard."

The Doctor started to smile at that, though Angel just looked at her solemnly, "Our lives are in your hands Amy," she told her gently, though only Rory seemed to notice one of her hands brush against her stomach at the words before she and the Doctor turned to walk away as Amy looked down.

"Thank you," River looked at her, Rory putting a hand on her shoulder in comfort.

"So!" the Doctor ran around the console again, "Canton Everett Delaware the Third! Who's he?"

~8~

A short man in a black suit, one Canton Everett Delaware the Third, sat at a bar, nursing a drink, when two larger men in trench coats and hats stepped up behind him, "Mr. Delaware?" one asked.

"Who wants to know?" Canton asked, looking at them.

"Your boss," the second agent replied.

"I don't have a boss anymore."

"Maybe you want to tell that to the President of the United States," he took the drink from Canton's hands as the other gestured at the door.

~8~

The Doctor and River stood around the monitor as Angel worked on setting the controls, "Ex-FBI got kicked out," River reported from her readings.

"Why?" Angel called, looking at them through the rotor.

~8~

The two men were in the front of a black car as Canton sat in the back, on the phone, "I understand you have a problem with authority," the man spoke.

"Thank you," he smirked.

"It's not a compliment, son."

~8~

"Six weeks after he left the Bureau," River read, "The President contacted him for a private meeting."

"Yeah...1969, who's President?" the Doctor frowned.

~8~

"This is a _personal_ matter," the man continued, "I need someone on the outside, someone with FBI training, but is not in contact with them."

"I'm flattered," Canton rolled his eyes.

"You were my second choice for this, Mr. Delaware."

"That's ok. You were my second choice for President, Mr. Nixon," he glanced out the window to see they were pulling up to the White House.

~8~

"Richard Milhouse Nixon," River replied, "Vietnam, Watergate…there's some good stuff too…"

"But not enough," the Doctor frowned.

"Hippie!"

"Archaeologist."

~oOo~

_"You, Angel, are like the modern day hippie."_

_"Urg," he grimaced at that, having come over to them in time to hear Martha's remark, "No she's not."_

_Martha scoffed, "You BOTH are really."_

_He pouted at that._

_Angel just smiled and put her arm around his waist, "At least we're not archaeologists."_

_He had to nod at that, he hated archaeologists._

_"I still can't believe you actually pointed and laughed at Howard Carter," Martha laughed, remembering that adventure to Egypt._

_"He deserved it," he countered sulkily, "He's an archaeologist!"_

~oOo~

Angel flinched at their little jibes, it was far too similar to how she and the Doctor used to toss 'psychic' and 'thief' at each other. She closed her eyes and turned back to the console, working on the controls, not even seeing the Doctor look over at her, eyeing her, for some reason picturing her last incarnation dressed as a hippie standing there...

~8~

Nixon sat behind his desk with Canton in the chair before him, "Every day, wherever I am, I get a phone call."

"People can't just call you, Mr. President."

"It's a direct call every time. Every day for the last two weeks, usually late at night."

"Man or woman?"

"Neither. Listen," he switched on a tape recorder.

~8~

"Ok!" the Doctor clapped, pulling his gaze away from Angel when she didn't look up at his stares, "Since I don't know what we're getting into, this time, for once, I'm being discreet. Putting the engines on silent," he tossed a lever that made the noise louder as Angel shook her head and River moved to push it down again, only to frown, struggling to move it as the TARDIS fought against her.

"Here," Angel reached over and gently put the lever down, easily, which made River glare at her.

"Did you do something?" he looked at her when it went quiet.

"Just helping," Angel shrugged.

He nodded, moving back to the controls, "Putting the outer shell on invisible. Haven't done this in a while. Big drain on the power."

"You can turn the TARDIS invisible?" Rory frowned, that would have been handy.

The Doctor flipped a switch and lights blared through the windows.

"Very nearly," River remarked, trying to hit the switch down, when the switch sparked, making her snatch her hand away, "Will you stop that!?" she shouted at the rotor.

Angel hid a small smile, reaching out to flick the lights off, patting the console a bit, it seemed the box still wasn't too fond of River. She knew, if the situation really called for it, the box would work for River, but right now...the box just didn't seem to like her.

"Did you touch something?" the Doctor popped up, rather close to Angel.

Angel just held her hands up in surrender, inhaling sharply at how close he was, barely half a foot away from her and looking right in her eyes, luckily far enough away to not feel her bump.

The Doctor nodded but...remained standing there, his hand resting on a lever, just...staring at her as she looked up at him. Amy and Rory glanced at each other, a bit confused as to why he wasn't moving to finish what he was doing, River's eyes starting to narrow at the scene unfolding, but just as she opened her mouth to snap the Doctor out of whatever it was, Angel spoke.

"The invisibility?" she murmured quietly.

But not quietly enough it seemed, or the Doctor was just more deep in whatever thoughts than he seemed, as he jerked back suddenly, nearly falling to the floor, only the lever he'd been holding catching his fall, keeping him from falling to the ground but instead stumbling onto the edge of the console, "Yes, right!" he shouted, nodding to himself and rushing to the other side of the console.

Amy frowned as she saw a blush creep onto the Doctor's face.

"You lot," he pointed at them, "Keep an eye open, you might learn something. Ok!" he tapped a button on the monitor, hitting it, "Now, I can't check the scanner, it doesn't work when we're cloaked…"

"No, Doctor you just have to…" Angel began, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the door with him, if he was going to encounter the unknown, he'd best have a psychic with him. That and...River kept glaring at her.

And he felt this...irritation...bubble in him at that. Angel hadn't, as far as he knew, done anything to deserve glares like the ones River kept sending her. And he knew that it did get to her, that it bothered her a good deal, so he just...wanted to get Angel away from the woman for a short while. He could have left her in the TARDIS, with the Ponds, and taken River instead but something...twisted...inside him at the thought of that. Of the thought of picking River over Angel, Angel belonged at his side.

River was very capable, very quick, very sharp and talented and handy in a dangerous situation. She was clever and daring and brave and able to handle herself. She was really rather impressive and quite lov...he blinked, realizing his thoughts were getting away from him.

Angel was all those things too, her visions made her an asset, the Vortex made her a force to be reckoned with if she so chose to use it in that way, not that he thought she would, at least not without some severe prompting and some sort of enormous threat on the horizon threatening the people she cared about. And she always did her best to protect everyone, she'd even protect River despite how the woman was sending her cold looks, and that was...something.

Looking at River, he honestly couldn't say if the woman would try to help Angel if a danger arose. She seemed to like Amy and Rory well enough, him especially, but...the fact that he couldn't be certain she'd defend Angel worried him. It alarmed him really. Even just thinking about it, upset him...something inside him told him that Angel should never be harmed, not ever, she was just...too precious...to him.

He stopped sharply at that, before nodding, it was true, she was precious to him. She was the last of their kind, like him, she was a fellow pilot for the TARDIS, she was his friend, his mate...he winced at that word, still, it had been ages and he STILL winced at it and didn't understand why.

Rory jerked forward, as though to stop him, if he was going to encounter the unknown, taking a pregnant woman into that sort of danger wasn't the best idea.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," the Doctor spun around, having heard Rory rushing after them to see the others had as well, "You lot…wait. We're in the middle of the most powerful city in the most powerful country on Earth…" he opened the door, "Let's take this slow."

He slipped out, followed by Angel, who patted the door frame and silently asked the TARDIS to be nice to River while they were out, and shut the door behind her. They looked around at the Oval Office, stunned, before noticing two men by a desk. The President was standing, looking through a window with his back to the Doctor, while Canton sat in a seat, facing the same direction, both listening to a recording play of a phone ringing twice before being answered.

"Hello?" Nixon answered over the recording, "Who is this? This is President Nixon. Who's calling? Is this you again?"

The Doctor crept forward cautiously.

"Mr. President?" a little girl whispered.

Angel frowned, glancing over her shoulder, feeling like...there was something there, watching them...

"A child," Canton's eyes widened.

"This is the President. Yes."

"I'm scared Mr. President. I'm scared of the spacemen…"

Angel looked back over at the recording, feeling her hearts stop...

... _Amy, Rory, and River stood by a lake, watching her walk towards an astronaut suit_...

... _she looked down, watching as the astronaut lifted its hand, aiming a blaster at her_...

... _she fell backwards as the astronaut fired, striking her in the chest, sending her to the ground_...

She gasped, looking down, tears in her eyes as she felt her breath catch in her throat. She closed her eyes, panting, shaking her head, wrapping an arm around her stomach, resting the other on a side table, bracing herself on it as she shook, feeling dizzy. She shook her head hard, looking up at the ceiling with tears in her eyes...

"A little girl," Canton realized.

"Boy," Nixon corrected.

"How can you be sure?"

Angel blinked and frowned, looking down at herself, why was she leaning against the table? Why was she shaking? She shook her head, swallowing hard, feeling a bit sick...

"What spaceman?" the recording rolled on, "Where are you calling from?" the Doctor pulled out a pen and paper and took notes, not seeing Angel looking around the room in confusion, as though trying to see something that wasn't there, "Where are you right now? Who are you?"

"...Jefferson, Adams, Hamilton."

"Jefferson, listen to me…" and the call ended.

"Surely this is something the Bureau could handle, sir," Canton stated.

"These calls happen wherever I am," Nixon shook his head, "How do I know the Bureau isn't involved?" the Doctor nodded, that was a fair point, "I can't trust anyo…" he turned around to see the Doctor and Angel standing there. Canton stood up as well, facing them.

The Doctor looked up a moment, motioning for them to continue, still jotting down notes.

"Doctor," Angel put a hand on his arm, looking at the men cautiously, not sure how they would react, humans were...tricky...

He looked at her and then at the men, "Oh!" he realized, "Hello! Bad moment," he started backing away, "Oh, look this is the _Oval_ Office! I was looking for the uh…" Angel tugged him to the side, avoiding knocking into a lamp, "Oblong Room…" the President pushed a security call button on his desk, "We'll just be off then…shall we?" he turned.

"Doctor!" Angel shouted, reaching out to try and pull him back, but he'd already walked right into the invisible TARDIS, "Every single time…" she mumbled as he fell to the ground.

~8~

The TARDIS jolted as River looked around, rolling her eyes, knowing what that meant, "Every time."

~8~

"Don't worry," the Doctor popped back up, "Always does that when it's cloaked."

"Doctor!" Angel pointed. He spun around as Canton tried to come up behind him, still managing to grab the Time Lord around the chest and tackle him to the floor.

"No, stop that!" he struggled.

~8~

River moved over to the monitor and cautiously grabbed a handful of wires, starting to stick them into it, smirking as she wasn't shocked this time, though the TARDIS hummed angrily, almost petulantly, as though a child doing something only because their parent had forced them to. It didn't bother her one way or the other, it was a machine, as long as it did its job it was fine with her.

"He said the scanner wouldn't work," Rory frowned.

"I know," she smiled, "Bless!" she plugged a wire in and the scanner sparked to life, but this time a spark she knew was meant to happen.

"Did Angel teach you that?" Amy asked.

River gave a reluctant nod.

~8~

"Ow!" the Doctor twisted as he was held to the floor. Angel had tried to get to his side but the President had grabbed her wrist, holding her back. She couldn't even use the Vortex or end up revealing themselves as aliens and a whole _other_ mess of issues would arise.

Secret Service Agents entered the room, two running to the President's side and grabbing Angel while the rest went to secure the Doctor, "Lock down, lock down!" an agent called.

~8~

River watched the Doctor on the floor through the monitor, his face pressed into the carpet, "Not that!" he twisted, "Ow!" he looked over, seemingly right at the camera, "River, _tell_ me Angel showed you how to get the scanner working!"

"Oh, I hate him!" she muttered.

~8~

"No, you don't!" the Doctor shouted as though hearing her.

"Get the President out of here!" Canton commanded, "Sir, you have to go with them now!"

"River!" Angel yelled, "Make her blue again!"

~8~

River huffed at being ordered about, "No," she muttered sarcastically, "I never would have thought of that," but flicked a switch and shut off the cloaking device, knowing the Doctor would need the distraction.

~8~

As the TARDIS became visible, Canton and the other men holding the Doctor released him to stare, openmouthed, at the box, though the guards holding Angel were not quite as awestruck, holding onto her despite the sudden appearance off a blue police box in the middle of the room.

"What the hell is _that_?" Nixon gaped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was SO torn about where to end this chapter. Originally it was the bathroom scene, then it was getting the Doctor his maps before I settled for this, because I really wanted to get everything with the Silence and the Astronaut in one chapter.
> 
> But did you like the little shocks for River? The TARDIS still doesn't like her does she, I wonder if the old box knows what's coming for Angel? Hmmm... :) Though here's another question...what happened to Angel in the Oval Office? Notice anything strange about that little scene after her vision? }:) Will it last though? Amy remembered something after seeing a Silent there...hmm...I wonder what Angel will remember...because she certainly will ;)


	4. The Impossible Astronaut: Florida

"Mr. President!" the Doctor said, closing a binder as he sat at the President's desk with his feet up. The agents stood up and turned on him, cocking their guns and aiming, "That child just told you everything you need to know. You weren't listening," Canton, the only guard with no gun out, eyed him, "Never mind 'no's the answer's 'yes.' I'll take the case," he clapped, but the men remained tense, their guns trained on him, "Fellas, the guns, _really_? I just walked into the highest security office in the United States with a friend of mine and parked a big blue box on the rug. You think you could just _shoot_ me?"

River ran out of the TARDIS at that, "They're Americans!"

The Doctor leapt up as some of the agents turned their guns on River, which made Angel wince as...well, one guard had been holding a gun to HER the entire time and he hadn't reacted, hadn't seemed to notice really, which she supposed was understandable, from his angle at the desk, but it still hurt.

"Don't shoot!" the Doctor cried, "Definitely no shooting."

"Nobody shoot us either," Rory said as he and Amy slowly came out of the box with their hands up, "Very much _not_ in need of getting shot…look, we've got our hands up," he glanced at Angel to see her being restrained and shot her a concerned look. She just nodded at him, she was fine, the guards had, thankfully, grabbed her around her upper arms and not her stomach.

"Who the hell are _you_?" Nixon yelled.

"Sir," Canton called, "You need to stay back."

"But who are they? And what is that box!?"

"It's a police box, can't you read?" the Doctor dropped his hands, "I'm your new undercover agent on loan from Scotland Yard, code name: the Doctor."

"A little help Doctor," Angel called from where she was still being held.

"That's my associate, the Angel, lives up to her name," he added.

"Nice to meet you," Angel said, a bit tense, the guards hadn't exactly lightened up on their grip, but then again, the other guards hadn't lowered their guns at the others either.

The Doctor seemed to notice that as well as he added, "And these are our top operatives, the Legs, the Nose, and Mrs. Robinson."

"I hate you," River muttered.

"No you don't," he grinned, he was starting to find, for how much River seemed to love irritating him by calling him 'sweetie' he got just as much enjoyment out of irritating her.

"You know you shouldn't make fun of Rory's nose," Angel called, "When I met you the first time you had a much bigger one than him."

"Really?" Rory perked up a bit at that, "That I _have_ to see."

"I'll show you a picture when this is over," Angel laughed.

"Who _are_ you?!" Nixon shouted, getting frustrated with their joking.

"Boring question," the Doctor cut in, "Who's phoning you? _That's_ interesting 'cos Canton 3 is right, that was definitely a girl's voice, which means there's only one place in America she can be phoning from…"

"Where?" Canton eyed him.

"Do not engage with the intruder Mr. Delaware!" a guard called.

"You heard everything I heard," the Doctor replied, "It's simple enough, give me…five minutes, I'll explain it. On the other hand, lay a finger on me…" he sat down and put his feet upon the desk, "Or my friends and you'll never ever know. Hurt Angel," he gave Canton a hard look, "And I won't lift a finger to help you _at all_."

Angel had to smile a little at that, at least he was still protective of her in a way. To him it was because, that time alone had made him more aware it was really just them left. But to her, even knowing that, it was still nice, to know that he cared about her.

"How'd you get that in here?" Canton motioned back at the TARDIS, "I mean, you didn't carry it…"

"Clever, eh?"

"Love it."

"Do not _compliment_ the intruder!" the guard yelled.

"Five minutes?"

"Five," he grinned.

"Mr. President," the guard spoke, "That man is a clear and present danger to…"

"Mr. President," Canton rolled his eyes, "That man walked in here with a big blue box and four of his friends and _that's_ ," he pointed at the guard, "The man he walked past. One of them's worth listening to. I say we give him five minutes. See if he delivers."

"Thanks Canton," the Doctor nodded.

"If he doesn't, I'll shoot him myself."

"Not so thanks…"

"Sir, I cannot recommend…" the guard tried again.

"Shut up Peterson!" Nixon snapped, before sighing, "Alright…"

"Five minutes," Canton turned to the Doctor.

The Doctor sat up as the guns lowered and looked around the desk, "I'm going to need a swat team ready to mobilize, street over maps covering all of Florida," he tapped the intercom button, "A pot of coffee," he held up his index fingers, "12 Jammie Dodgers," and pointed at Canton, "And a fez!" he grinned, tapping the desk with his fingers.

Canton just gave him a look, "Get him his maps."

~8~

There were maps _everywhere_ , all over the Oval Office. Amy and Rory were sitting on a sofa while Angel sat on an armchair across from them, looking at a map of her own though not really seeing it...she couldn't help but feel like she'd forgotten something, it was something small, she felt, but it was...bothering her. It was distracting her from looking at her maps. The Doctor was standing with a map, walking across the room, past Canton, to the President's desk while the guards watched him closely should he try to harm the President.

"Why Florida?" Canton wondered.

"That's where NASA is," he replied, "She kept mentioning spacemen…NASA is where the spacemen live. Also…" he put the map on the desk and hunched over it, "There's another lead I'm following."

Amy got up and went to kneel by River at the edge of the room, the woman having set herself there, as far away from Angel as possible, where she was looking at a map as well, "Spaceman?" Amy whispered, "What like the one we saw by the lake?"

"Maybe, probably," she got up.

Amy turned to see an alien with a large head and eyes, but no mouth, in a black suit standing in the doorway, her mind thinking back to seeing a similar one at the lake, "I remember…"

"Amy?" Rory stepped in front of her, "What did you remember?" he stepped aside, the doorway empty.

"I don't know, I just…" she put her hand on her stomach, suddenly feeling sick.

"Amy?" Angel got up and went to her side, "What's wrong?"

"Amy?" River frowned.

"You alright?" the Doctor walked past her with a map.

"Yeah, yeah, no, I'm fine," Amy waved them off, "I'm just feeling a little sick," she looked at a guard, "Excuse me, is there a toilet or something?"

"Sorry ma'am, while this procedure's ongoing we must remain within the Oval Office," a guard replied.

"It's alright Amy," Angel put an arm around her, "Why don't you use the one in the TARDIS yeah?" Amy nodded and walked over to the blue box, stepping inside and closing the door. Angel looked around, frowning as she glanced at the empty doorway, "Though…now that she's mentioned it…I think I do have to go as well," she looked at Canton, knowing what the guards' reply would be if she asked them, "Could you ask one of them to show me to the toilet?"

He eyed her a moment, "Can't you wait till she's finished?" he nodded at the TARDIS.

She smiled a bit, "I could," she laughed, "But this _is_ the White House. When am I going to get another chance to use the toilet here?"

He laughed and looked at one of the guards, "Take her to the restroom."

The first guard sighed, "This way ma'am."

"Thanks," Angel smiled at Canton and headed out with the guard.

"You're five minutes are up," Canton turned to the Doctor who was back by the desk, appearing to be looking at the maps, though Canton saw him glancing back at Angel out of the corner of his eye as she left.

"Yeah?" he countered, "And where's my fez?"

He turned, moving to lean on the President's desk for the moment, holding up the map, looking for all the world like he was squinting and trying to see where something was, but really...his gaze wasn't even on the map, but just over the top of it, and his squinting wasn't squinting but a frown. He shifted, feeling nervous all of a sudden, feeling...odd...without Angel there. They hadn't really been separated the last year or so, when it had just been them in the TARDIS. They'd always been together and, it was nice...really nice, nicer than he thought it would be. He liked having Angel all to himself, her company, her attention, her smiles...he didn't know what it was but...he'd actually been a bit...sad...to walk through that diner door and see the Ponds there.

Oh he loved the Ponds, very much, Pond 1 and Pond 2 were the best, but...he knew that meant travelling with them, and that was brilliant! It was, it really was...but it also meant Rory would be there, with Angel, as her companion again. Her attention would be divided, probably even focused on Rory like it had been in the past, like it ought to be really since he WAS her companion, but it...irritated him, when he saw her hugging the man so tightly, it bothered him in more ways than one. He'd even found himself shifting and narrowing his eyes at Mickey of all people the last time they'd visited Martha. He didn't know what was wrong with him but...

He didn't like Angel being too far away from his side.

~8~

Angel headed into the bathroom, the guard seeming like he wanted to come too but she just held up a hand with a smile, "I think I can do this by myself, thanks," she turned and entered a small little room where another door led to the bathroom and stopped.

Her smile fell as she rested her hand on the second door, closing her eyes a moment, her stomach twisting painfully in a way that she knew, there was something on the other side of the door she needed to be ready for. Steeling herself, she took a breath and entered to see the alien she'd glimpsed in the doorway when she'd followed Amy's gaze in the Oval Office. She swallowed, recognizing it now, it was the same alien from her dream/vision, not only that...it was the same alien she'd seen on the ceiling of the Office.

She looked at the alien, seeing it just...staring at her, tilting its head as though examining her, and winced, seeing a flash in her mind of a lake, of her and an astronaut and a blast of light...before she shook her head, remembering now what she'd forgotten just before, the few minutes between stepping out of the TARDIS and leaning on that table, minutes which seemed to include a vision...but why had she forgotten those few minutes? HOW had she forgotten them? Unless...unless the alien had something to do with it?

She shook her head, that didn't matter right now, she knew, she could feel it, time was limited. She could see a bathroom stall out of the corner of her eye, she could hear someone in it, she had to be quick, before the woman in there stepped out and saw the alien.

"I know why you're here," she told it, taking only a step towards it but no more, watching as it eyed her, she at least remembered that much from her dream, "And I know what you're planning. We'll stop you, the Doctor _will_ stop you," she swallowed hard, "And I won't let you harm Amy or Rory! I'll stop you too!"

And with that, she turned and ran for the door, knowing if she could get out of there, the woman she could hear in the stalls would be safe, the alien would just stand there and the woman wouldn't notice, but there was something more important she had to do...

She had to warn Amy…

She would NOT let her dream happen!

~8~

Angel ran out of the bathroom and back to the guard, a bit out of breath. She gasped, an odd feeling like she'd just narrowly escaped from something in the pit of her stomach, making it twist, before it disappeared, though the unsettled feeling remained, "You ok?" the guard asked, concerned.

"I'm fine," she wrapped her arms around her stomach, wondering why she was shaking a bit, "Thanks."

The guard eyed her a moment, seeing she was really shaken about something, before putting a hand on her back, "This way ma'am."

~8~

The Doctor was looking at the map, trying to distract himself from Angel's lack of presence by focusing on the maps and what he'd been doing, when the phone rang. Everyone looked at it, "The kid?" Canton asked as Amy stepped out of the TARDIS.

"Should I answer it?" Nixon turned to the Doctor.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" the Doctor pointed at the map with a grin, "The only place in the United States that call could be coming from! See? Obvious when you think about it?" River walked over as Canton leaned down to look, Angel walking back into the room and following the crowd of people.

"You, sir, are a genius," Canton grinned.

The Doctor stretched and clapped, "Yes well, if Angel were here she'd have spotted it," he shrugged, "She's psychic! A brilliant psychic really."

"And you're a thief," Angel called, alerting them to the fact that she was back as he grinned and pointed at her.

"Mr. President," Canton turned to him, "Answer the phone."

Nixon answered and pressed the record on the tape recorder, "Hello? This is President Nixon…"

"It's here!" the girl yelled, "The spaceman is here! It's gonna get me. It's gonna eat me!"

Angel took off at the sounds of the little girl's frightened cries before anyone could react, running to the TARDIS.

"There's no time for a swat team, let's go!" the Doctor grabbed his jacket as the others followed Angel into the box, "Mr. President tell her help's on the way. Canton, on no account follow us into this box and close the door behind you."

"What the hell are you doing?!" Canton ran after him and shut the door, the TARDIS disappearing before Nixon's eyes.

"Mr. President, please help!" the girl pleaded, "Please help me!"

"Jefferson, it's alright. I'm sending my best people."

~8~

Canton looked around at the inside of the TARDIS in shock while River, the Doctor, and Angel rushed around the console, getting the controls set. Rory stood by Canton, watching him closely as Amy watched the crew by the controls.

"Ow!" River hissed as a button she moved to push sparked, "Doctor tell it to knock it off!"

"Come on," the Doctor moved to pat the console, "Be nic..." only for it to spark and the TARDIS to jolt terribly as though trying to throw them to the side. He sighed, he should have expected that the box would react that way to him trying to defend River if the box was cross with her for some reason, "Angel?"

"Please girl?" Angel reached out to pat the rotor, the TARDIS letting out an almost angry hum, though Angel could tell the box was cross about being asked to be kind to River than angry at HER, "I know I asked you to be nice while we were out, but that doesn't mean sparking now that we're back."

The TARDIS hummed, sounding almost like it was pouting.

Angel laughed, "I know," she stroked the rotor, "But a little girl's in danger and we need to go find her," the TARDIS was quiet for a moment before giving a soft hum, "Thank you."

"Brilliant," the Doctor breathed, and Angel looked over to see him staring at her, a soft smile on his face, a tiny bit of awe in his eyes. She always impressed him when she did that, calm the TARDIS so effortlessly, got the box to listen, "You're just...fantastic," he added.

Angel gave him a small smile before she shook her head, "The girl?" as much as she enjoyed when he gave her that soft look, that look that he used to give her at times, it still hurt to see it without that sparkle in his eye. And she didn't want to deal with more of River's glares, like the woman was currently giving her. And, not to mention, that little girl was in danger, they should ALL be focusing on helping her.

"Right," he nodded, spinning around, "Jefferson isn't a girl's name. It's not her name either. Jefferson, Adams, Hamilton…River!"

"Surnames of three of America's founding fathers," River answered promptly, smirking as he pointed at her for her correct answer, continuing to help pilot the box.

"Lovely fellows. Two of them fancied me."

Canton spun around in a circle, looking around, "You ok?" Rory eyed him, "Coping?"

"You see the President asked the child two questions," the Doctor added, "Where are you and who are you. She was answering where."

"It's bigger on the inside…" Canton stared.

"Yeah…you get used to it…" Rory patted him on the back.

"Now, where would we find three big historical names on a road map?" the Doctor questioned.

"Where?" Amy smiled.

"Here!" he pulled a lever and landed the TARDIS, "Come on!" they ran to the doors but Canton stopped them.

"It's uh…"

"Are you taking care of this?" the Doctor looked a Rory, "Good!"

And then he ran out with River and Angel, "Why is it always _my_ turn?" Rory groaned.

Amy stopped, "Because you're the newest," and kissed him on the cheek, "And Angel's companion," if anyone was going to know more about the box, it would be her companion, before running out to see they were in a decrepit, dirty room with boxes and trash scattered around, "Where are we?"

The Doctor sat in a chair, waving a small American flag, "About five miles from Kennedy Space Center," he looked over, watching as Angel walked over to the window and looked out, River standing behind him, "It's 1969, the year of the moon," River and Amy turned on their torches, "Interesting don't you think?"

"But why would a little girl be _here_?"

"I don't know."

"She's lost," Angel murmured as she looked out the window, through the blinds, at the road beyond, "And she's scared," she swallowed hard, it reminded her of little Jamie on her first few trips with the Doctor, that poor boy...

"The President asked her where she was so she did what any lost little girl would do," he got up and joined Angel at the window as River picked up a phone off to the side.

"She looked out of the window," Angel held down some of the blinds to reveal the three names on the street signs for Amy to see.

"Streets!" Amy laughed, "Of course, they're street names."

"Only place in Florida," the Doctor nodded, "Probably all of America, with those three street names on the same junction. And Dr. Song," he turned and leaned against a window to look at her, his back to Angel, "You've got that face on again."

"What face?" she asked.

"The 'he's hot when he's clever' face."

"This is my normal face," she smirked.

"Yes, it is."

"Oh shut up," though she couldn't help but laugh at the uncomfortable look on Angel's face before the Time Lady turned away. _Perfect_.

"Not a chance," the Doctor picked up the phone as River moved to look at the room, only to look at it, confused, a moment, before putting it down.

Canton walked out of the TARDIS and looked around, "It's _moved_! How…how can we…have moved?"

"We haven't even got to space travel yet?" the Doctor looked at Rory.

Rory shut the door, "I was going to cover it with time travel…"

" _Time travel_?" Canton's eyes widened.

"Brave heart, Canton, come on!" the Doctor clapped his hands and turned to walk away.

"So we're in a box that's bigger on the inside and travels through time and space…" Canton turned to Rory.

"Yeah, basically."

"How long has Scotland Yard had this?"

"It's a warehouse of some kind…disused," River remarked as they walked through the door and into a bigger section.

"Do you realize this is almost certainly a trap of course," the Doctor commented.

"I noticed the phone, yes."

"What about it?" Amy glanced back.

"It's cut off so how did the child phone from here?" River said.

"Om. Comm.," Angel murmured, looking up at the rafters, for some reason feeling like she needed to make sure there was nothing hiding up there.

"What?"

"Om. Comm.," she looked at the Doctor who, for a moment, seemed confused, "With Jack and Rose? Jamie and Nancy?"

"Oh, yes!" the Doctor nodded, blinking as he smiled bashfully at nearly having forgotten that, "Could be."

"What's Om. Comm.?" Amy frowned.

"It's a form of communication that allows the speaker to broadcast through anything with speaker grille."

"Ok…but why would anyone want to trap us?"

"Don't know. Let's see if anyone tries to kill us and work backwards."

"The thing I don't understand," Angel frowned, hugging herself a bit, "Is how a little girl could end up here?" she looked at the state of the place, this was NO place for a child.

"I don't know. Let's find her and ask her."

River wandered off to the left where there was a lab table of sorts, odds and ends on it, "Its non-terrestrial, definitely alien. Probably not even from this time zone."

"Which is odd because look at this!" the Doctor rummaged through a crate of a NASA astronaut suit which made Angel pause and frown, looking at it, feeling her stomach twist at the sight of it for some reason.

"It's Earth tech!" River looked at it, "Contemporary."

"It's _very_ contemporary! Cutting edge," he lifted up a space helmet, "This is from the Space Program!"

"Stolen?"

"By aliens?" Amy raised an eyebrow.

"Apparently," the Doctor nodded.

"But why? I mean, if you could make it all the way to Earth, why steal technology that can _barely_ make it to the moon?"

The Doctor put on the helmet and gave a muffled reply, they could barely make out, "Maybe 'cos it's cooler!" before he lifted his visor, "Look how cool this stuff is!"

" _Cool_ aliens?"

"Well what would you call me?"

Amy and Angel exchanged a look before Amy replied, "An alien."

"Oi!" he pulled off the helmet.

"I uh, I think he's ok now," Rory called, pointing his torch at Canton who had a light of his own and was looking up around the warehouse.

"Ah back with us Canton?" the Doctor grinned.

"I like your wheels," he stated.

"That's my boy," he patted Canton on the shoulder, moving on, "So come on, little girl, let's find her."

Amy walked over to River who was scanning mucus on the wires of an examination board, "So River…"

"I know what you're thinking."

"No, you don't."

"You're thinking if we can find the spaceman in 1969 and neutralize it then it won't be around in 2011 to kill anyone."

Amy frowned, "It wasn't just anyone, River, it was _Angel_."

"And she didn't do a thing to stop it," River countered.

"That doesn't mean WE can't," Amy shook her head, more than a bit disturbed by River's lack of concern for Angel. She knew the woman didn't like Angel but...to be so ok with Angel _dying_...that she wouldn't even try to stop it... _that_ didn't sit right with her at all. Meeting River the first few times, she had been...so impressed with the woman, with her skills and her temperment and how well she handled the Doctor. She had completely believed that the woman was the Doctor's future wife.

But...now...she almost found herself hoping that wasn't the case. She couldn't imagine the Doctor ever being ok with letting someone die. When the Signora had died, he'd been terribly sad and the woman had been trying to kill all of Venice! And River was standing there, acting like Angel's future death was no big deal. When it was a very big one, not only was Angel her friend, but her husband's Pilot, AND the only other member of the Doctor's species left! She just...she couldn't see the Doctor being with someone who wasn't going to try to help save someone else, if anything, Angel was better suited for him. River was rather cold and short with her, and yet Angel still got the TARDIS to be nice to her and did her best to protect her, she knew about what Angel had done in the TARDIS when it had exploded, how she'd teleported River out to save her.

And she was starting to think that it wasn't really love that River felt for the Doctor either. If she loved someone as much as River seemed to given all her little flirts and innuendo...she'd never ever want them to suffer the loss of their entire species. Letting Angel die was the same as condemning the Doctor to truly be alone. River should be fighting all the harder to save Angel because of that. She just...she didn't understand why River felt that way, and she doubted she'd find out, River was very fond of her 'spoilers.'

"It doesn't work like that," River stated, making Amy look at her, "We came here because of what we saw in the future, if we try and prevent the future from happening we create a paradox."

"Time can be rewritten."

"Not all of it."

"Says who?"

"Who do you think?" River spotted a wire on the floor, "What's this?" and followed it to a manhole where it went down.

"We can still save…"

"Doctor!" River cut her off, really not wanting to hear any more talk of 'saving' Angel. That girl was nothing more than a thorn in her side, always getting in the way, always pulling the Doctor away from her, if that woman died, so be it, "Look at this!" the Doctor walked over as she moved the manhole covering.

"So where does that go?" the Doctor eyed it.

River held up a scanner, scanning the darkness, "There's a network of tunnels running under here."

"Life signs?"

"No, nothing that's showing up…"

"That's not good," Angel shook her head, frowning as she crossed her arms, having come to join them, "It could be anything, Vashta Nerada, Headless Monks…"

"Be careful!" the Doctor shouted as River started to make her way down, ignoring Angel's concerns.

"Careful?" River smirked, "Tried that once. Ever so dull."

The Doctor sighed and rolled his eyes, knowing he'd probably do the same, "Shout if you get in trouble."

"Don't worry," River grinned, glancing at Angel before flirtatiously looking at the Doctor, "I'm _quite_ the _screamer_. Now _there's_ a spoiler for you!" she winked.

The Doctor stood as she disappeared down the hole, a fierce blush on his cheeks, not even noticing Angel close her eyes and shake her head, before she turned away, moving to look at the room instead of the Doctor.

"So what's going on?" Canton asked.

"Uh, nothing," he spun around and pointed at the hole, "She's just a friend!"

Rory stepped over and leaned across to him, "I think he's talking about the possible alien incursion…"

The Doctor smiled embarrassedly, "Ok!" he patted Rory on the shoulder and moved past him, patting Canton as well. Angel glanced at him over her shoulder, frowning as she watched him walk off, resting a hand on her stomach as she closed her eyes.

"Hey," Rory said, moving to her side, speaking quietly, "You ok?"

She swallowed hard, "I'm really not sure."

It was harder than she thought it would be, not that she thought it would be easy, forcing herself to accept whatever the Doctor did in his amnesia, but...she still had the baby, and as long as she had that, she'd be ok. She'd have to be.

~8~

River reached the bottom of the ladder and used her torch to follow the cable...only for her light to wake the sleeping, large-headed aliens in black suits.

~8~

Canton looked at a number of random items and liquids in jars across from Amy at a table, "So, I was in a bar having a drink, tell me honestly, am I still there?"

"'Fraid not," she laughed.

River came up from the hole, breathing heavily, seeming scared for a moment, before blinking and looking up as though nothing had happened, "All clear!" they turned to face her, Angel frowning as she watched her, sensing something...off...about it all, it was the same feeling that she had gotten in the Oval Office, "Just tunnels. Nothing down there I can see. Give me five minutes, I want to take another look around."

"Stupidly dangerous!" the Doctor shouted to her.

"Yup! I like it too! Amy look after him!" and then she went back down.

"Rory would you mind going with her?" Angel asked, concerned.

She couldn't shake it, something was _very_ wrong. And, despite River's attitude, despite how she'd only asked for Amy to watch out for the Doctor and not her, she still wanted to make sure the woman was ok. One day she'd give her life for the Doctor AND her. That was not something she could easily forget, and that was something she would always be grateful to River for doing. Despite it all, she wanted to make sure River would be safe.

"Yeah, a bit," he admitted.

"Please?" Angel smiled at him, nudging him a bit, "I know you can do it."

He sighed, she never really asked him to do anything she didn't already know he could handle. Often it was things HE didn't know he could handle until she'd sent him out and he realized he _could_. It actually felt quite empowering to learn he was stronger and more capable than he thought he was. And then there was the look in Angel's eye when he came back successful, the _pride_ in her eyes. He'd never had anyone be _that_ proud of him before, not even Amy, impressed, yes, shocked, sure, but proud? He supposed she was proud of him, but Angel...Angel always seemed to be the most proud of him of anyone, and it made him proud of himself.

"Hang on River, I'm coming too!"

~8~

Rory dropped down off the ladder in the tunnel to see River hunched over, looking a bit green, "You ok?"

"Yes, yes, just felt a bit sick," she waved him off, "It's the prison food probably," she pulled out her scanner, "Ok. This way? What do you think?" and set off, scanning the tunnel as Rory followed behind.

"I keep thinking I hear things," he mumbled after a few minutes, continuously glancing back at odd noises but seeing nothing.

"That's interesting…these tunnels are old…really old. How can they be really old and nobody noticed?" she spotted a door in the wall.

"It's a maintenance hatch."

"It's locked," she examined it before kneeling, "Why do people always lock things?"

"What's through there?"

"No idea."

"Something bad?"

"Almost definitely."

"You're going to open that, aren't you?" he sighed.

"Oh it's locked. How's a girl supposed to resist?"

"Is this sensible?"

"God I hope not," she flashed a scanner against the lock and got to work, picking it.

"You and the Doctor…I can kind of picture it, except for…"

"Except for what?" River looked up.

"Nothing," he looked away.

He'd promised Angel not to tell about the baby. He knew the Doctor was the father, he really DID have to talk to her about that, about how that happened. Well, he knew how it could happen, but...the way the Doctor acted around Angel...it wasn't at all like any man who had slept with someone would, in his mind, those in love shared a bed and conceived a child. He knew men didn't always do that, but...he couldn't see the Doctor being that sort of man. He couldn't see him getting drunk and not remembering it the next morning or taking advantage of Angel and then pretending like it was fine. He couldn't see Angel staying with him if those things happened either.

He nodded to himself, when this was over, he was determined to talk to Angel about this, see what had happened. And that, that not knowing what happened, actually brought up another thought, "Amy said you hated Angel."

"Yes?" River asked, as though he were asking her if she had the time, answering it so casually that it made him frown.

"Why?" but River was silent, "Was it something she did or...or will do?" he shook his head, "If she hasn't done it yet, you shouldn't hold it against her now."

He wasn't.

Angel, at some point in her future, invited them to watch her be shot by an astronaut, to see her die...but this Angel, the one he'd seen in the diner, she hadn't a clue about it. THIS Angel wasn't THAT Angel. She hadn't done it yet, so why should he be angry at her? He'd seen River slap the Doctor, he knew she had wanted to slap Angel (not that he would let that happen, not at all) but it just proved that River didn't see it like that. She didn't seem able to disassociate the different Angels, the future and the present. To her, it was just Angel who had done it. And that didn't work, that wasn't realistic, especially with all the time travel they did.

"She has," River muttered, "She'd done it already, she's ALWAYS doing it," she added bitterly.

"Done what?"

River's jaw tensed in annoyance, more cross with herself for letting that slip than annoyed at Rory, "Keep a look out," was all she said.

Rory turned around and looked down the tunnel, another question nagging at him, which was understandable given how little he knew about River, "What did you mean? What you said to Amy. There's a worse day coming for you?"

"When I first met the Doctor a long, _long_ time ago, he knew all about me. Think about that. Impressionable young girl, suddenly this man just drops out of the sky and he's clever and mad and _wonderful_ and knows every last thing about her. Imagine what that _does_ to a girl," she smiled, thinking on that.

"I don't really have to. But…wasn't Angel there?"

"Yes, she was," River admitted after a moment, seeming...rather bitter about that as well.

Rory nodded, he had a hunch what this was all about. Amy, even though Angel had been there when she'd met the Doctor too, had been smitten with the Doctor. He knew it, he accepted it, it was why he'd been a bit jealous when he'd first started travelling, he'd' calmed down though, knowing Amy was HIS wife now, and wife, to him, would always trump companion. But from what he knew of Time Lord pregnancies and a few details Angel had mentioned in their talks about when they'd met Amy, she had been pregnant _before_ that happened. It didn't seem to matter that Angel was there, the Doctor just sort of blotted everything else out and Amy had been a bit obsessed with the man. Maybe that was why he was so close to Angel, to his Pilot, because he understood how she felt, being blotted out, worrying about the idea that someone you cared for might go off with someone else. It seemed that it would happen in the future, that even _with_ Angel there River would still love the Doctor. And he knew she did love the Doctor, in a way, he'd gathered that much from her comments and knowledge. He just...didn't know what sort of relationship she had with him, her comments, her innuendo made him think one thing, but...there was Angel and her baby...

The Doctor would have to find out about it eventually, find out that it was HIS child...

And then a horrible thought struck him, had Angel been _completely_ alone when she'd lost it? Had she left the TARDIS and given birth and lost the baby, only to return to the TARDIS for an escape and not told the Doctor? Did the future Doctor not know about the baby? And if he didn't...what did that mean for the Doctor and River? If the Doctor never found out about the baby...would he and River be together? Was THAT why River was angry? Did she know about the baby? Know that the man she seemed to love had a child with another woman? But...River gave no impression at all that she knew about the baby, not really. So what could it be, why did she really hate Angel? He could tell that River's actions and words and remarks really got to Angel, they _hurt_ her, and he didn't like that at all...

"Trouble is," River added, pulling him from his thoughts, "It's all back to front. My past is his future. We're travelling in opposite directions. Every time we meet, I know him more, he knows me less. I live for the days I see him, but I know that every time I do he'll be one step future away," she could only hope that as far away as he was from her, he'd be that far away from Angel as well, that was the only shred of hope she could find in all this, "The day's coming when I'll look into that man's eyes, _my_ Doctor, and he won't have the faintest idea who I am," she broke the lock, looking up at him, "And I think it's going to kill me."

They walked through the door as it slid open to see an empty control room for a ship of some sort, a hollow, though advanced, spaceship. It had a control panels at its center with small terminals around it with an orb in the center of each panel, "What is this place?" Rory looked around.

River stepped more in when the lights started to flicker and an alarm sounded, "That's an alarm. Check if anything's coming."

Rory looked out into the hall to see a swarm of large-headed aliens with no mouths in black suits and quickly turned back to warn her...only to blink, "There's nothing out there."

River nodded and scanned one of the orbs, tapping in a code around it and putting her hand on it, looking back at the scanner, "These tunnels, they're not just here, they're _everywhere_. They're running under the surface of the entire planet! They've been here for centuries…" electricity crackled in her peripheral vision and she looked over to see what seemed to be a lightning strike behind Rory, "Rory!"

~8~

Canton looked at a mucus covered wire, the same one River had looked at earlier, as Amy came up to him, "So, you were kicked out of the FBI, because you had 'attitude problems.'"

"No," he smiled, "I just wanted to get married."

"Is that a crime?"

"Yes," he looked back at the Doctor, who seemed to be trying to look at the astronaut suit again...though his gaze kept being pulled up and looking across the room at Angel every two seconds, which made the man smile to see, it was fairly obvious, at least to him and his minor behavioral analysis training, that the man was attracted to the woman, "Doctor who? Exactly?"

"That's classified."

"Classified by who?"

"God knows."

"But you work for him."

"He and Angel are my _friends_. If friend is the right word. I haven't seen them in a while," Canton went back to looking at a wire again when…

"Help me!" a little girl cried from another room, they all turned to look that way, Canton pulling out his gun, "Help! Help me!"

"That's her!" Canton rushed forward, following the voice, when Amy ran after him...only to stumble, holding her stomach.

"Amy?!" the Doctor ran to her side as Canton ran past.

"What's wrong?" Angel asked her, rushing to grab the girl's hand.

"I need to tell you something, it's important!" Amy said, squeezing Angel's hand, "It's really, _really_ important!" they were about to rush after something, someone being chased by the spaceman, and...if it was some sort of danger which it likely was...she needed them to know what she feared may be wrong with her, because the situation might be all the more dangerous for her if she was right.

"Doctor quickly!" Canton yelled from the other room.

"What, _now_?" the Doctor looked at Amy before reaching out and grabbing her other arm, pulling the two women after Canton. He pressed himself against a corner, motioning for them to be quiet before flashing the sonic as he ran around.

"Canton!" Angel gasped, following him, to see Canton lying face down on the ground, unconscious, "Canton are you alright?" she knelt at his side along with the Doctor, laying a hand on him but she couldn't see a wound or anything...

"Is he ok?" Amy ran over, squatting down beside Angel.

"Just unconscious, got a proper whack at him," the Doctor remarked.

"Doctor, Angel, I have to tell you something, I have to tell you it _now_."

"Not a great the moment Amy."

"No, it's _important_. It has to be now," if they were in terrible danger, they _needed_ to know.

"Help!" the girl cried, "Help me!" the Doctor looked around for the girl, trying to see where she was, Angel just stiffening, looking over her shoulder at a door behind them, "Help me!"

"I…" Amy swallowed, "I think I might be pregnant…"

The Doctor's eyes widened as Angel's head snapped around to stare at Amy, both of them looking at her...

Until they heard the sound of boots stomping.

They looked over to see someone in a spacesuit enter the room from the door behind them. The Doctor stood, staring at it as did Angel whose breath caught in her throat.

"That's it…the astronaut!" Amy gasped, eyes large with fear. She glanced at the Doctor and Angel to see them staring at the suit as though in a trance.

The astronaut raised its arm as Amy turned to grab Canton's fallen gun, thinking it was about to fire on her friends.

But the arm continued up, lifting the visor to reveal the little girl, "Help me!"

Angel felt her hearts clench at the sight.

"Get down!" Amy ordered.

The Doctor snapped out of his daze and looked over to see Amy with a gun, "What are you doing?!"

"Saving your lives!" she spun around and fired.

Angel reached out, trying to stop her, she _couldn't_ let Amy hurt an innocent little girl!

"NO!" the Doctor cried as Amy screamed, spotting the child within...

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...this is different, isn't it? In two previous stories I've had Amy in the bathroom and THAT was when she'd been captured by the Silence, even though Moffat said somewhere that it had happened before she'd gone to America. That didn't happen here, Amy being captured in the bathroom instead of beforehand, River is still the daughter of her parents and still raised to kill the Doctor by the Silence :( I just wanted Angel to try and protect Amy more from them, to not be as exposed to them as she was, so sad that it won't work. In a way, poor River :(
> 
> Oh dear God, we know what's coming in the next episode don't we? The River kiss...will it still happen? We'll have to wait and see }:)


	5. Day of the Moon: The Orphanage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick note, this chapter will have the scenes happening in the past in italics :)

_3 months later…_

Amy ran through the Valley of the Gods, back in Utah once more, while two black cars chased after her, Amy just barely managing to keep ahead of them. Though she knew it was a method of intimidation for them, they were toying with her as they chased her, kept back just enough for her to be ahead of them, but not far enough for her to know she could escape. A pen on a lanyard hung around her neck and there were black tick marks all over her skin, from her arms to her neck, even on her face.

"Suspect directly ahead," an agent reported to Canton as he sat in another car, following.

"Coming to you now," he replied, "Over."

Amy stopped suddenly at the edge of a small ledge, waving her arms to try and regain her balance so as to not topple over it, slowly turning around to face the two cars that were converging behind her. She swallowed, looking around warily as a number of agents stepped out, their guns aimed at her, with Canton in the front, "Canton," she gasped.

"Miss Pond," he motioned to one of the other agents who spread something on the ground.

She frowned, eyeing the black bag that had been set down, "Is that a...body bag?"

"Yes, it is," he smirked.

"It's empty."

"How about that."

"Do you even _know_ why you're doing this, eh?" Amy glared at him, "Can you even _remember_? The warehouse?"

~8~

_"No!" Angel half-tackled Amy, more like pushing her enough that she ended up firing to the side and not striking the little girl. She hadn't even thought to use the Vortex, she'd just reacted, which was something she was really going to have to work on. She remembered what happened the last time she'd done that, she'd been shot by a Dalek and the baby had nearly died. She couldn't bear the thought of that happening again._

_The Doctor let out a breath of relief at seeing the child unharmed before he rushed over to help Canton to his feet, "Amy!" the Doctor yelled, "Angel!"_

_Amy grabbed Angel's hand and pulled her after the Doctor when the Time Lady hesitated to move, staring at the little girl as though to make sure she was ok. The little girl was looking at her pleadingly, tears in her eyes, so, SO scared that it broke her hearts and all she wanted to do was rush over and hug her, help get her out of that suit...but she could sense it, whatever it was that had put the child in the suit was coming, an attack was coming. And before she even realized it, Amy had pulled her away, no matter how much she struggled to get back to the little girl._

_The four of them passed River and Rory as they just managed to climb out of the tunnels, all of them running for the TARDIS._

_"What the hell's going on?" Canton yanked his arm out of the Doctor's grasp, stumbling back, away from them all._

_"Look behind you!" the Doctor pointed._

_"There's nothing behind me!"_

_"Look!" Angel cried, "Canton, look! Please!"_

_He turned around to see one of the aliens in the black suits walking towards him, electricity crackling around it. Amy grabbed her phone, remembering it now, from the ledge in Utah and the doorway of the White House, and snapped a picture of it so she wouldn't forget it again._

_It merely reached out menacingly towards them…_

~8~

Canton fired his gun...and Amy fell to the ground.

~8~

Inside a large hanger there were armed guards stationed around an open area in the middle. Canton walked up to it, past signs that read 'Do Not Approach the Prisoners.' The Doctor and Angel, their hair longer, the Doctor now sporting a beard, were sitting on two chairs on a black platform in straitjackets, chained to a chair each. There was a yellow circle painted around them.

"All visitors to remain behind the yellow line," the speakers called, "All visitors to remain behind the yellow line."

"We found Amy Pond," Canton walked over to them, carrying an envelope with pictures in it, "She had strange markings on her arm," he held up one of Amy's arm, the tick marks on it, "Do you know what they are?" he tossed them down, the photos landing on the yellow ring.

The Doctor looked down but Angel didn't even react.

"Why don't you ask her?" the Doctor remarked as Angel sat on the chair her head hanging forward, asleep. He glanced over at her, worried, she hadn't been doing as well as she could be, he knew. She slept more, she was quieter, it was like there was something bothering her but she refused to talk about it. Not that they really could, what with all the guards and monitoring going on.

It wasn't like they were Mated and could speak telepathically.

~8~

River ran through an office under construction in New York City, tally marks on her arms as well. She walked nervously through a series of plastic curtains, gasping when she heard a pipe fall, only to see more aliens behind her, "I see you!" she took a pen off her lanyard and marked her arm, "I _see_ you!"

"Dr. Song!" she heard Canton calling in the distance, she spun around, "Dr. Song?" when she looked back the aliens were gone. She glanced at her arms seeing two new tally marks before running, knowing that meant she'd had an encounter, "Go, go, go!" she stopped at the edge of an open window, "Don't move! It's over!"

She turned around, looking at him, "They're _here_ , Canton. They're everywhere."

"I know," he rolled his eyes, sarcastic, "America's being 'invaded.'"

"You _were_ invaded a long time ago. America is _occupied_."

"You're coming with us, Dr. Song. There's no way out, this time."

"There's always a way out," she smirked before opening her arms and allowing herself to fall backwards, out the window, off the 50th floor, her eyes falling closed as she just...drifted down.

~8~

The Doctor stared at two lab coated scientists, a woman and a man, placing a black brick along the platform he and Angel were sitting on, making a wall. Every time they straightened a block out and placed it the cracks between bricks would melt together as though it hadn't been a separate brick.

"We found Dr. Song," Canton remarked as he stepped before them.

Angel didn't even move from looking up at the ceiling, she did that a lot, the Doctor had noticed. It was like, every time she woke up, she always looked around her and then up at the ceiling, like she was searching for something or making sure something wasn't there. What could possibly be on the ceiling he didn't know. She always would give a small smile though after looking around, like she was pleased about something, before she'd lean back and just...stare at the ceiling, he knew why. There was a window there, you could see the sky, the blue sky, the white clouds, the sun even at times. It was as close as they had gotten to the outdoors in three months.

"These bricks, what are they made of?" the Doctor asked, but Canton didn't reply, "Where is she?"

"She ran. Off the 50th floor."

"I'd say 0-Balance Dwarf Star Alloy," he returned his attention to the bricks, "The densest material in the Universe," he watched another crack fade, "Nothing gets through that. You're building us the perfect prison…" he looked up at Canton, "And it still won't be enough!"

Especially not with Angel there, the Vortex...there was almost nothing stronger than it. He didn't doubt that she'd be able to blast them out. She could, right now, blast them out of their chains, but she didn't. She couldn't. To reveal the Vortex would mean they'd be separated, they'd take her for testing or treat her like she was a dangerous weapon, chain her up more. Which was a ridiculous thought, that Angel could be dangerous, she was the kindest woman he'd ever met, the warmest, the most compassionate.

Why she still put up with him he didn't know, he'd done so much in his lives, not all of it good. There was blood on his hands, a sliver of ice in his hearts, a darkness in his soul...and she knew that, yet still she stayed. Which, he had to admit, he was eternally grateful for. When Angel was around...it was like...he wasn't quite as much a monster as he thought himself when he was alone. How could someone like Angel look at him and smile at him and stay with him if he were truly evil...the answer, he couldn't be, there had to be something good and redeeming about him if Angel stuck around.

She made him a better person.

~8~

Rory burst out of a door, onto a road across the Glen Canyon Dam, to find both sides blocked by agents. His face, arms, and neck were _covered_ in tally marks. He looked over the side of the dam, contemplating jumping, before putting his hands up and turning to face Canton, who just looked at him, "What are you waiting for?"

"I'm waiting for you to run," Canton replied as Rory lowered his arms, startled and confused, "It'll look better if I shot you while you were running," Rory just stood his ground, swallowing hard, and Canton shrugged, "Then again, looks aren't everything," he raised his gun at Rory, who closed his eyes.

There was a shot and Rory fell to the ground.

~8~

Canton strode into Area 51 once more, this time with two soldiers dragging a body bag each behind them. He led them to the now complete black prison, like a big black box with only a jig-sawed area out of it, a door. He stepped in, the soldiers depositing the body bags before the Doctor and Angel, who was now finally looking at Canton instead of up and away from him.

"Canton why are you doing this?" Angel looked up at the man.

"I want you to know where you stand," he smirked.

"In a cell," the Doctor stated.

He nodded at the soldiers who turned and left, "In a _perfect_ cell. Nothing can penetrate these walls. Not a sound, not a radio wave," he turned and put his fingers into five holes in the wall, lighting up a square around it, the jig-sawed area filling in, "Not the tiniest particle of anything. In here, you're cut off from literally the rest of the Universe," the cracks sealed and he looked at them, a wide grin on his face, "So I guess they can't hear us right?"

Angel beamed at him, giving him a warm smile, "You are fantastic Canton!"

"Door's sealed?" the Doctor asked.

"You bet," he nodded.

The Doctor and Angel stood, pulling off the chains and jackets, revealing that they had been loose and untied the whole time. Amy and Rory, hidden in the bags, sat up with a gasp, trying to get out. Angel rushed to the bag that was before her, unzipping it to reveal Amy as the Doctor did the same with Rory, "You ok?" the Doctor asked Rory.

"Finally!" Amy breathed as Angel patted her on the back.

"These things could _really_ do with air holes!" Rory glared at Canton.

"Never had a complaint before," the man laughed.

"Isn't it gonna look odd that you're staying in here with us?" Amy worried as Angel helped her up.

The Doctor stretched out his arms and wound them while Rory walked over to Angel giving her a quick once-over before hugging her tightly, unable to begin to explain how terrified and worried he'd been about her during the three months. To know she was locked in an area designed to deal with aliens, pregnant...he'd been so scared that the government would have tried to dissect her or something. But she was ok, she and the baby were fine, which was a weight off his shoulders.

"A little," Angel told her, "But it's what he ordered."

Canton nodded, "They know there's no way out of this place."

"Exactly!" the Doctor smiled, "Whatever they might think we're doing in here…" he stretched out his braces, "They know we're not going anywhere," he fell to the side to lean against the invisible TARDIS, snapping his fingers to open the doors, "Shall we?"

"What about Dr. Song?" Canton called as they all ran in, "She dove off a rooftop!"

"Don't worry," the Doctor waved him off as Angel closed the doors behind them, "She does that. Amy, Rory, open all the doors to the swimming pool," he ran to the console, Angel helping him set the controls.

A moment after Amy and Rory had rushed off Amy shouted back, "Angel?!"

Angel sighed, not even needing her abilities to know what Amy was shouting about, "Come on girl," she patted the console, "Let her in," she sighed, "You know what River will do, yes?" she looked up at the rotor, frowning as she heard a rather angry hum sound, "In the Library," she continued, "You know what will happen, you were there, I told you about it so please, let her in?"

The TARDIS was silent a moment...

"Thanks!" Amy cheered.

"Thank you," she whispered, smiling up at the rotor.

But the TARDIS just hummed sadly now.

"Angel?" the Doctor called and she looked over at him, "You're alright, yeah?" he eyed her, concerned, he hadn't really been able to speak to her as much as he'd like, she had been very quiet and he really had missed the sound of her voice, her smiles, he was...worried, "The last three months and all..."

She nodded, a little touched at his concern, he was showing much more of it now compared to when he'd first regenerated, "I'm fine, you?"

He smiled, "Brilliant."

Angel turned back to the controls, not seeing his gaze linger on her a moment longer. He hadn't been answering her question, but more...expressing his relief that she had been ok. He knew that her time with Van Statten couldn't have been easy, nor could all the others who had gotten their hands on her over the 50 years she'd been alone with the Dalek. She had likely been chained up numerous times, restrained, and that had been his main worry, that it would be hard for her to deal with that again, with more humans trying to hold her prisoner.

But this time...this time she wasn't alone, he was there for her, with her, where he ought to be. The last of the Time Lords together.

~8~

River leaned back as she fell, turning into a dive as she flew through a door and into the TARDIS, a splash of water jetting up out of them as she landed in the pool.

~8~

River stood in the console room now in a green, sleeveless dress, drying her hair with a towel as the Doctor, now dressed in his jacket but still with the beard, ran around the console with Angel, "So!" he called, "We know they're everywhere, not just the landing party, an occupied force. And they've been here a very, _very_ long time. And nobody knows that because nobody can remember…"

"So what are they up to?" Canton wondered.

"No idea. But the good news is," the TARDIS thumped, "We've got a secret weapon!" he ran to the doors and outside to reveal the Apollo 11 rocket ready for lift off.

"Apollo 11's your secret weapon?" River eyed it.

"No, no! It's not Apollo 11. That would be silly. It's Neil Armstrong's foot," he laughed and turned to run back into the TARDIS, the quartet (even River) looking at Angel for explanation.

"I have no idea," she sighed, rubbing her head. She almost hated when the Doctor got that excited, his mind raced so fast she couldn't keep up with him.

~8~

Canton drove a black Sedan through a thunderstorm and up to the Graystark Hall Orphanage, an old dilapidated building that, by rights, should have been closed down _long_ ago, "In just a few days mankind will set foot on the moon for the first time," a voice said over the radio, "Today the President reaffirmed America's commitment..."

Canton turned it off and twisted in his seat to look at Amy in the passenger's seat and Angel in the backseat, both women dressed all in black suits, like proper agents, "Ready. Check?"

Amy looked at the palm of her left hand, "Clear."

"Yup," Angel added, doing the same.

"Clear," Canton agreed and they got out of the car, dashing quickly through the rain to the doors...

~8~

_The Doctor held Canton's hand up as he shot something in it with what looked like an injection gun, "Ow!" Canton winced, rubbing his hand._

_"So!" the Doctor smirked and looked around, "3 months, what have we found out?"_

_"Well, they are everywhere, every state in America," Rory remarked as the Doctor shot his hand too, "AH!"_

_"But you saw them in other countries also," Angel glanced at River, "So it's not just America."_

_"There's a greater concentration here though," River remarked tersely as she looked firmly at the monitor._

_"OW!" Amy glared at the Doctor as he shot her hand next._

_"Are you ok?" he asked her in a whisper, he hadn't gotten to ask her about it earlier, about what she'd said in the warehouse, if she was ok._

_"All better."_

_"Better?"_

_"Turns out I was wrong," she whispered as Rory walked past, "I'm not pregnant."_

_"What's up?" Rory asked them._

_"Nothing," Amy smiled, "Really, nothing, seriously."_

_The Doctor walked over to Angel who held out her hand ready for the injection but he hesitated, reaching out to take her hand in one of his and just...held it, staring at it._

_Angel frowned, "Doctor?" she asked, not seeing River look over at that as did the others, "Is something wrong?"_

_He blinked, looking at her, "It's...it's going to sting."_

_She nodded slowly, "I know," she'd seen the obvious reactions of Amy and Rory and Canton just then._

_He looked back down at her hand, his thumb starting to rub a little circle in the middle of her palm as he remained otherwise unmoving. He didn't know what it was but...the thought of injecting her hand, it...bothered him. It would sting, yes, it would hurt too, and something ached in him at the thought of causing Angel any harm, even something so small as a minor sting. He almost couldn't bring himself to do it, all he could see in his mind was Rory and Amy wincing in pain and his hearts twisting at the image of Angel flinching the same way because of something he'd done._

_"It'll hurt," he breathed, staring at her hand still._

_Angel blinked this time and curled her fingers around his thumb on her palm to still him, "I'll be ok Doctor," she said softly, "It'll only be for a moment."_

_"Yes," he nodded, though he still made no move to inject her, "Right, just a moment..." he started shifting, the others watching him, seeing that he clearly didn't want to inject Angel, though only River seemed to gasp why that was and was glaring at Angel for it._

_"A moment which will be over the sooner you do it," Angel reminded him._

_He closed his eyes and took a breath, this shouldn't be so difficult. He'd injected the other three, why should Angel be any different? He lifted her hand, watching as her delicate fingers uncurled and pressed the injector gun to it, quickly firing into her hand. He supposed he could take comfort in that she had only winced and not shouted in pain like the others, it made him feel a tiny bit better._

_"So you've seen them, but you don't remember them?" Canton frowned._

_"You've seen them too," River looked at him, though her jaw was still tense from that moment the Doctor and Angel had had, despite the fact that the Doctor had turned away from the Time Lady the moment she winced, the baby, whatever it was, that injection couldn't be THAT painful, "That night at the warehouse. Remember? While you were pretending to hunt us down we saw hundreds of those things. We still don't know what they look like."_

_"It's like they edit themselves out of your memory as soon as you look away," Rory grumbled, "The exact second you're not looking at them you can't remember anything."_

_"You can't remember what happened a bit before and after either," Angel added, it was like you walked into a room and turned around and wondered why you were in it to begin with. You don't remember turning around or entering but you're in the room. It was jarring._

_"Sometimes you feel a bit sick though but not always," Amy nodded._

_"So that's why you marked your skin," Canton guessed._

_"Only way we'd know if we had an encounter."_

_"How long have they been here?"_

_"That's what we've spent the last three months trying to find out."_

_"Not easy if you can't remember anything you discover," Rory shook his head._

_"How long do you think?" Canton frowned._

_The Doctor turned and walked towards him, "As long as there's been something in the corner of your eye, or creaking in your house, or breathing under your bed, or voices through a wall. They've been running your lives for a very long time now so keep this straight in your head. We are not fighting an alien invasion, we're leading a revolution. And today the battle begins."_

_"How?"_

_"Like this…" he subtly moved back and shot River's hand._

_"AHH!" River grabbed her hand._

_The Doctor laughed, "Nano-recorder," he held up a small capsule, "Fuses with the cartilage in your hand," he shot his own hand with a wince, "It tunes itself directly to the speech centers in your brain. It'll pick up your voice no matter what. Telepathic connection. So, the moment you see one of the creatures…" he pushed down on the center of his palm with his middle finger, making it glow red, "You activate it. And describe, aloud, exactly what you see," he tapped his hand, "'And describe, aloud, exactly what you see,'" repeated back, before the red light turned off, "Because when you break contact you're going to forget it happened. The light will flash if you've left yourself a message," he held up his hand, "Keep checking your hand. If you've had an encounter, that's the first you'll know about it."_

_"Why didn't you tell me this before we started?" Canton frowned._

_"We did," Angel looked at him, "But it looks like even information about them erases if it's not refreshed too."_

_The Doctor walked over and tapped something on the console, "And we couldn't refresh it because we couldn't talk to you."_

_Canton looked over his shoulder, blinked, and turned back to the Doctor, reaching out to straighten his bowtie, only to notice Amy, Rory, and River all staring at him from behind the Doctor while Angel leaned against the side of the console, watching him intently, "What? What are you staring at?"_

_"Look at your hand," River said._

_He looked down to see a blinking red light, "Why's it doing that?"_

_"What does it mean if the light's flashing?" the Doctor reminded him, "What did I just tell you?"_

_"But I haven't…"_

_"Play it."_

_Canton pushed the button and the recording began with himself saying, "My God! How did it get in here?"_

_"Keep eye contact with the creature," the Doctor said on the recording, "When I say, turn back, and when you do...straighten my bowtie."_

_Canton turned around again as he heard himself say, "What? What are you staring at?"_

_"Look at your hand," River finished and the recording ended._

_Canton's eyes widened because there, at the back of the TARDIS, was one of the aliens, "It's a hologram extrapolated from a photo on Amy's phone," the Doctor told him, "Take a good long look," the image faded, "You just saw an image of one of the creatures we're fighting," he snapped his fingers, "Describe it to me," he snapped a finger again and pointed at Canton._

_"I can't," Canton shook his head, shocked._

_"No, neither can I," the Doctor sighed and looked at Angel, "Angel?"_

_She shook her head, "I know that I've seen something and that I should remember, even before you mentioned it, but I just...can't bring it up."_

_He nodded and turned to Canton, "You straightened my bowtie because I planted the idea in your head while you were looking at the creature."_

_"So they could do that to people," Amy blinked, "You could be doing stuff and not really knowing why you're doing it."_

_"Like post-hypnotic suggestion," Rory frowned._

_"Ruling the world with post-hypnotic suggestion…"_

_"Now then, a little girl in a spacesuit," the Doctor began as Angel started typing something in on the console, "They got the suit from NASA but where did they get the girl?"_

_"Could be anywhere," Canton sighed._

_"Except they probably stayed close to that warehouse 'cos why bother doing anything else?" the Doctor countered, walking around to stand by Angel, watching her input the information, "And they take her from somewhere…that would cause the least amount of attention…" he watched as she brought up a map with 3 red dots, zooming in on them, "But you'll have to find her. I'm off to NASA."_

_"Find her? Where do we look?"_

_Angel frowned, staring intently at the map._

_"Angel?" the Doctor smiled softly at her, recognizing that expression._

_"There," she blinked, pointing at the map as it zoomed into one particular dot, just knowing that, of the three, that would be the one they needed, "An orphanage."_

_"How can you be sure it's that one?" Canton frowned, having seen the other two dots, "We only have one go at this and..."_

_"Trust her," the Doctor cut in, "She really is psychic Canton, if she says it's that one, it's that one."_

_Angel smiled just a little at that, at least his faith in her was as strong as ever._

~8~

Canton knocked on the door of the orphanage and an older man opened it to see the three of them standing there, "Hello?"

Canton held up his ID, "FBI. You must be Dr. Renfrew. Can we come in?"

"The children are asleep…"

"We'll be very quiet," Amy promised.

"Is there a problem?"

"It's about a missing child," Angel told him.

"What are you..." he blinked and nodded, "Yes, yes, come in, please," he stepped back, allowing them in. They looked around to see it truly was as dilapidated inside as outside, with paint chipping from the walls and damp all over. Painted on the walls in large letters were words demanding they 'Get Out' and 'Leave Now,' "This way," he led them up a set of stairs, "Please excuse the writing. It keeps happening. I try to clean it up."

"It's the kids, yeah?" Amy nodded at the wall, "They do that?"

"Yes. The children. It must be, yes."

"I don't think it is," Angel whispered, frowning as she saw the man had 'Get Out' written on his wrist when he reached out to wipe the wall. It wasn't the children, there couldn't be 'children' there, but a child yes, one child, and those messages, it either meant the child was aware of the aliens and trying to warn Renfrew away, or it was Renfrew trying to warn himself, but he didn't seem to realize it either way, which made them all even more nervous, his mind was clearly very frazzled.

"Anyway," the man gave up wiping at the words, "My office is this way."

"We nearly didn't come to this place," Canton remarked as they walked up the stairs after him, "I understood Graystark Hall was closed in '67."

"That's the plan, yes."

"The _plan_?" Amy frowned.

"Not long now."

"It's 1969," Canton told the man gently.

"No, no. We close in '67. That's the plan, yes."

"You misunderstood me, sir. It's 1969 _now_."

"Why are you saying that?" the man looked at him, frowning, growing a bit frantic, "Of course, it isn't!"

"July."

And then he blinked, "My office is this way, this way."

Angel frowned as the man veered off to a smaller stairway, she'd seen that before. In Canton just before in the TARDIS. He'd panicked, seeing the alien there, but when he'd turned away he was calm. It was like his train of thought derailed, it was just like Renfrew.

"I'll check upstairs," Amy whispered.

"I'll go with you," Angel offered, not wanting to leave Amy alone in this, not knowing that the aliens were after her.

"Be careful," Canton told them, turning to follow Renfrew as Amy and Angel continued up the stairs. They walked to the middle of the next hall. Amy nodded to the left and then at Angel, she nodded and turned right, checking the rooms while Amy went left. Amy pushed open a door to a dorm room to see a number of bed frames lined on either side of the room, a message 'Leave Me Alone' painted on the wall. She quickly pulled out her comm..

~8~

The Doctor was lying on his back, a whole mess of wires above him, a red light and green light flashing as he worked on something. A device beeped beside him and he put a headset on, "Amy?"

"I think we found the place she was taken from. Angel was right about this being the one."

"How do you know?"

"'Cos those things have been here. The whole place is deserted. There's just one guy here and I think he's lost it."

"Repeated memory wipes fry your head eventually. Find out what you can but _don't_ hang around," he stuck something above him with a grunt, "And keep an eye on Angel for me."

"...where are you?"

He fiddled with something, "Gotta go. Got company," he slammed the panel up and shut it, sitting up to face two NASA scientists who were standing outside the top of the module, "Don't worry I've put everything back the way I found it…" he held up a dangling wire in his hand, "Well except this. There's always a bit left over isn't there?"

He grinned up at them as a green light flickered in the module where he'd stuck it.

~8~

Amy sighed and put away her comm., continuing to walk through to the window in the back of the room. The door slammed shut behind her and she whirled around. She ran to the door and, as she tried the knob, saw markings on her hand. She turned it over to see her palm flashing red. She pressed it and listened...

"I can see them, but I think they're asleep. Get out! Just get out!"

She tried the door again and then ran back to the windows, only to see _more_ markings on her hands and her face. She turned around and slowly looked up to see a mass of the creatures hanging upside down from the ceiling. She walked towards the door, not taking her eyes off them...and ended up kicking a pail that was sitting there to catch the water dripping from cracks in the roof. One of the creatures hissed at the noise. She reached her hand out to leave a message...when the door opened and Angel was there.

"Amy?" she asked, "You ok? I heard the door slam..."

"Fine," Amy looked at her, all thoughts of the aliens gone. She shook her head and walked out of the room, Angel turning to follow, one of the aliens standing behind her, watching them go.

Angel paused in the hall, tensing as she glanced back over her shoulder, but nothing was there.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to say SO excited for the next chapter! Not only are we going to get a Rory/Angel bonding moment but(!) the Doctor is going to say something to River that has to do with Angel, but it might not be in the way you expect or about what you might think ;)
> 
> And...the end of this episode will also have a rather...well, it's Thella-ish, it focuses mostly on the Doctor, and I hope you'll enjoy it ;)


	6. Day of the Moon: Uncovering Truths

The Doctor sat in a lecture hall, the boards filled with scientific equations and plans. There was a man in a white shirt with a black tie sitting in a chair across from him and another similarly dressed man standing to the scientist's left. A soldier was behind the Doctor, guarding the door should he try to escape.

Which was actually a rather smart thing to have done as he HAD tried to escape once before, when he'd first been led there. It was like something had just...snapped in him and, for some reason, all he could think about was Angel. He'd tried to get out of there, to get back to her. He had been fine in the module, he had gone there on purpose, he could leave whenever he wanted, he was free. If the girls needed his help he could be there in a flash. But now, now he was being held captive, he was being watched and guarded and escape or leaving would be all the more difficult. What if something happened to Angel? And Amy. If something happened to them, he wouldn't be able to get there as fast as he could have.

And that really was starting to worry him a great deal. Even now, sitting there, he was fidgeting, growing a bit impatient for River to get there with the person he'd requested over the comm. before it had been taken from him.

This never would have happened if Angel were there, not just because she was psychic, she'd have made sure that they got out of the module before the scientists noticed him. But also because...if SHE were in the TARDIS the box would be there and back in mere seconds! He knew it was slightly unfair to River, he knew the TARDIS had some sort of issue with her, hadn't the faintest idea what it could be, so it was understandable that the box was likely fighting her at the control.

He hoped Rory would be enough to calm the box down, that had been one reason he'd left Rory with River instead of taking the man along with him as he'd offered earlier. If anything happened, Rory would be able to help River pilot, and at the very least, his presence as Angel's companion would help the box do what it was told.

He hoped.

"Now one more time sir, how _the hell_ did you get into the command module?" the sitting man asked.

"Oh, I already told you," he sighed, this was probably the hundredth time he'd been asked that by at least 3 different men, he'd answered, he'd given them an actual real answer, a proper answer, the truth...and they STILL kept asking! It was just a waste of time, time that could be spent getting back to Angel...and Amy, "I'm on a top secret mission for the President," and then he tried to bite though the link between his handcuff, hoping he might be able to escape that way. It wasn't like he could use the sonic, they'd confiscate it if they saw the technology used in it, but he was getting quite desperate to get out.

He should have expected this really, he...didn't do well when Angel wasn't with him or at least in sight, he'd realized that when she'd gone to Torchwood. He didn't like it when she wasn't there, not only because he worried constantly that she was in some sort of danger that her visions had missed or that the Vortex couldn't be used against without killing her, it wasn't that he often found himself in dangerous situations that could have been avoided if she were there, it wasn't even that, when she wasn't there, he sometimes worried that he'd dreamed her up, that he'd imagined her and that he was really and truly the last Time Lord, that he was alone.

It was really a combination of all three and then some.

"Well maybe if you just get President Nixon to assure us of that, sir, that would be swell," they laughed.

The Doctor released the link and smiled, "I sent him a message."

The man mouthed 'oh' and then the doors behind them on the other side of the room opened and the President himself walked through, the TARDIS visible in the background as two people standing on either side of him held the door open for him, Rory in a suit with glasses and River in a...rather familiar outfit. The Doctor frowned as he eyed it, it was a light blue three-quarter sleeved dress that seemed like a robe in the front but only until the empire waist, a white belt, and a flowing skirt that went down to her knees. She had white heels on and white gloves as well as a pearl necklace to complete the look, her hair was held back in a small bun with a matching sort of light blue cap on her head. It made him feel like she was going for a 'housewife' theme.

...and it looked so _wrong_ on her. But not for the reason one might think.

"Hello!" Nixon smiled as the Doctor gave him a brief wave, the men turning to stand and stare, stunned, "I believe it's Mr. Gardner is that correct?" he shook the sitting man's hand, "Head of security?"

"Uh, yes sir!" he shook the President's hand, "Yes Mr. President."

"Mr. Grant is it?" he shook the other man's hand.

"Yes Mr. President!" Grant exclaimed.

"The hopes and dreams of millions of Americans stand here today at Cape Kennedy. And you're the men who guard those dreams. On behalf of the American people, I thank you."

"You're welcome Mr. President," Gardener replied.

"I understand you have a baby on the way Mr. Grant?"

"Yes Mr. President," Grant nodded.

"What are you hoping for? Boy or a girl?"

"Just a healthy American sir."

Rory glanced over at a miniature model of Apollo 11 and began to look at it.

Nixon laughed joyfully, "A healthy American will do," he punched the man's shoulder twice, "Just nicely!" he stepped back, "Now, fellas, listen to me, this man here, code name: the Doctor," they looked back as the Doctor waved, "Is doing some work for me personally. Could you uh, cut him a little slack?"

"Uh, Mr. President, he _did_ break into Apollo 11," Gardner remarked.

Nixon looked at the Doctor who mouthed 'Sorry.'

"Well, I'm uh, I'm sure he had a very good reason for that…" he sputtered as River shot a knowing look at Rory who looked back a moment, "But I need you to release him now so we can get on with some very important work for the American people. Could you do that for me?"

"Well…" Grant hesitated.

"Son, I _am_ your commander and chief."

"Then I guess that would be fine," Gardner decided, "Mr. President."

"Glad to hear it."

Gardener turned and nodded at the guard, who moved forward to release the Doctor, allowing him to get up, "Thank you!" he shook Grant's hand, "Buh bye," and then Gardner's, then snapped his finger at the President and walked past them all, back to the TARDIS.

"Carry on gentlemen," Nixon smiled at them before turning to follow the Doctor. River headed off after them as Rory picked up a piece of the module...and broke it off. He tried to stick it back on but was unable to so he just placed it on the table.

Rory turned to the scientists and cleared his throat, "America salutes you," he saluted them and walked back to the TARDIS, the scientists just staring on. He shut the doors to the box behind him, leaning on it a moment, before frowning at the sight before him.

River was standing before the Doctor with her arms crossed, which he knew from Amy was never a good sign.

"Why?" River asked, with a small huff to her voice.

"Because you don't need to be dressed like that anymore," the Doctor remarked, gesturing to her outfit, he'd simply asked her to change, he didn't know why that as causing such a fuss.

"What's wrong with how I'm dressed?" she put her hands on her hips now, an even worse sign Rory knew.

The Doctor was silent, unsure of how to to say that it was Angel's dress, she was wearing Angel's dress from when he and Rose and Angel had faced the Wire. It wasn't even that the dress brought up bad memories, reminding him of how he'd nearly lost Angel to the alien, no, it wasn't that. It was...it was _Angel's_ dress. That was all he could think as he looked at her in it, that she shouldn't be in it, because it wasn't hers. It didn't belong to her (not that any of the outfits in the wardrobe really belonged to anyone) and it didn't suit her, it suited Angel, because it was HERS. Seeing River in that dress...he didn't like it, not at all.

"Just go change," he muttered, turning to the console.

River eyed him a moment before smirking, moving to lean beside the controls he was working on, "Care to help me?" she murmured.

Rory frowned, watching that, watching that flirtatious smile grace River's face...it was actually really startling how similar she looked to Amy just then, with her flirting and whatnot. But she was flirting with the Doctor now, openly inviting him to do something not very innocent, "Doctor," Rory called as he headed up the ramp towards him, feeling like he needed to cut in on the moment. The Doctor, even if he was unaware was the father of Angel's baby, something he still had to ask her about, but until he knew the truth about it all...he just couldn't stand there and watch the man flirt with or be flirted with by another woman, "What do we do now?"

"Yes," the Doctor spun to him, turning his back on River, who rolled her eyes but headed off to get changed, "First we need to get the President back to the White House," he turned and began to put the controls in, letting out a breath of relief that Rory had interrupted.

He knew River was a flirt, but that was going a bit far and...to be honest...he didn't know how to respond.

~8~

As Renfrew sat at his desk, Canton searched the filing cabinets beside him, "This place, it's been closed for years. What have you been doing?"

"Oh, the child, she must be cared for," Renfrew replied, "It's important. That's what they said."

Canton stiffened and glanced at him, "That's what _who_ said?"

~8~

Amy and Angel walked through the upstairs hall, the last floor of the building, shining their torches around. Angel suddenly stopped and grabbed Amy's hand, stopping her as well.

"What is it?" Amy asked her quietly, knowing she must have sensed something just then. There was a metal click and Amy looked over to see a woman with an eye patch peering through an opening in the door to a nearby room, "Hello? Who are you?"

The woman looked to the side, down the hall the way they were heading, "No, I think she's just dreaming," the window slid shut.

"Amy?" Angel asked, looking at Amy with a small confused and concerned frown.

Amy glanced at her before running to the door of the room and opening it to reveal a child's room that seemed to have been recently occupied.

"Hello?" Amy called, looking back to see the door had no hatch on it now. She frowned and walked over to it, looking at it as Angel stepped into the room and looked around.

"What are you doing?" Angel whispered, seeing Amy feeling the door.

"Nothing," Amy murmured, staring at it, at where the window hatch had been, "Just...thought I saw something."

Angel nodded and walked over to see a small collection of stuffed animals on the bed, running her hand along them, before turning to a mobile hanging from the light and a mess of framed photos on the bureau. She frowned, feeling her gaze being pulled back to the pictures, and walked over to them, looking at images of a girl, the little girl at various ages. One, hidden in the back, caught her eye and she picked it up, her eyes widening, "Amy…"

Amy looked up from the door and walked over to see what Angel had in her hand. Her eyes widened, seeing the picture. It was of the two of them, them and the Doctor and Rory, standing before the TARDIS, Angel beside her, smiling down at the baby Amy held in her arms as she cooed at it and gently reached out to touch it, while Amy laughed at Angel, Rory standing on her other side, beaming at the Doctor.

"What?" Amy breathed, shaking her head, "How can that be us?"

"I don't know…" Angel shook her head, putting the picture down with shaking hands...

And then they heard the familiar stomping of boots.

They turned around to see the astronaut enter the room, "Who are you?" Amy demanded, pushing Angel behind her slightly, knowing all too well what the astronaut was capable of, what it would do, "I don't understand, so just tell me who you are!" the astronaut lifted its visor to reveal the little girl, she looked straight at Angel, "I'm sorry," Amy continued, trying to move more in front of Angel and block the view of her, not having noticed Angel stiffen and looked back at the girl, having seen a flash in her mind of herself on a lakeside, an astronaut suit firing at her, "I didn't mean to shoot you. I'm glad Angel made me miss. But you…" she swallowed hard, realizing Angel was _right_ behind her and recalled River's words about if you'd want to know when you were going to die, "You're going to do something really bad. Who are you? Just please tell me, because I don't understand!"

"Please help me," the little girl begged, reaching out for them, "Help me, _please_ …"

But then, two of the aliens entered the room.

Amy screamed as Angel gasped, and the door slammed shut.

~8~

There was a thumping on the door to the office and Renfrew went to answer it. He opened it just a crack, enough where Canton couldn't see who he was speaking to just beyond, "It's just some questions. Yes, I see," he closed the door and sat back down.

"Who was that?" Canton asked, but Renfrew was silent, "Dr. Renfrew? Who was that?"

The man blinked and looked up at him, "Who was who?"

Canton stiffened, recognizing the signs and walked to the door, but stopped when it opened to reveal an alien, "What are you?" he demanded, making sure to stare right at it, "You can tell me," he activated the recorder behind his back, "'Cos I won't remember. You invaded us. You're everywhere."

"Help!" Amy shouted from a distance, "Canton, please help! Angel!"

"Are you armed?" Canton looked at the creature.

"This world is _ours_ ," it replied, rasping, telepathic, "We have ruled it since the wheel and the fire. We have no need of weapons."

"Yeah?" he pulled out a revolver and shot it three times, "Welcome to America," the creature fell and he ran out into the hall, "Amy! Angel!"

~8~

The Doctor stood before Nixon at the desk in the Oval Office, "You have to tape _everything_ that happens in this office," he ordered the President, "Every word or we won't know if you're under the influence," he nodded and turned back to the TARDIS.

Nixon stood, "Doctor, you have to give me more than this. What were you doing to Apollo 11?"

"A thing, a clever thing. Now no more questions," he leaned against the desk to speak to him, face-to-face, "You have to trust me and nobody else."

River opened the door to the TARDIS, now dressed in her green dress once more, holding a comm., "Doctor it's Canton!" the Doctor didn't even hesitate as he turned and rushed towards the TARDIS, "Quick he needs us!"

~8~

Canton raced up the stairs, following Amy's shouts, "Help!" Amy cried, "Help me! Please, I can't...I can't see!" he shoved against the door to the room her voice was coming from, but it was stuck shut, "Somebody help me!"

"Amy!" he banged on the door, "Amy can you hear me? Is Angel in there too? No," he shook his head, "Never mind, listen, Amy I'm gonna try and blow the lock but I need you to stand back," he aimed the gun.

"Ok, gun down!" the Doctor ran up the stairs, "I've got it!" he moved to the door, sonicing it.

"Amy!" Rory shouted as he and River joined him, "We're here, are you ok?"

"I can't see!" she yelled.

The Doctor got the lock open and they ran in...

Not noticing a little girl down the hall, hiding around the corner...

They stopped short, seeing the room was abandoned, the spacesuit lying on the floor and Angel on her side, facing the bureau. The Doctor jolted forward, about to run to Angel's side...when Rory beat him to it.

"Angel!" Rory shouted, dropping to his knees beside her, checking her over, seeming to wince when he spotted a small bruise on her temple, realizing she'd been knocked out, "She'll be ok," he murmured, not even looking up at the Doctor, because he wasn't speaking to the man, he was more making sure that he himself was reassured.

The Doctor swallowed and looked at his hands, slowly unclenching the fists he hadn't realized he'd clenched, before he turned, seeing River was scanning the suit and moved to help her.

Rory leaned over, shaking Angel gently till she woke up and rubbed her head, wincing at the bruise that was forming, "Angel," Rory breathed, helping the woman sit up, "Angel...where's Amy?"

Angel blinked and looked around, as though just realizing that Amy wasn't there, "I don't know…I…I think the aliens were here but I can't…I can't remember," she shook her head, looking at Rory with tears in her eyes, "Rory I'm so sorry."

Rory just pulled her into a hug, knowing that she had probably tried her best to protect Amy, but he couldn't blame her when the aliens affected everyone's memory. All they had to do was distract Angel for only a moment, make her look away and she'd forget they were there and that she was defending herself and Amy from them.

The Doctor looked at the sonic as River opened the visor of the suit, "It's empty."

"It's dark, so dark," Amy called. They looked over to see the red nano-recorder blinking on the floor, "I don't know where I am. Please can anybody hear me?"

Rory reached out and picked it up, "They took this out of her…how did they _do_ that Doctor?" Amy whimpered and cried, "Why can I still hear her?" the Doctor walked forward sadly.

"Is it a recording?" River guessed.

The Doctor soniced it quickly, "Um, it defaults to live, this is current. Wherever she is right now this is what she's saying."

"Amy can you hear me?" Rory called into the recorder, "We're coming for you. Wherever you are we're coming, I swear."

"She can't hear you. I'm so sorry, it's one way."

Rory turned around to him, "She can always hear me Doctor. _Always_. Wherever she is, and she always knows that I am coming for her. Do you understand me?" the Doctor could only stare at him, "Always."

"Doctor?" Amy whispered out and Rory looked down, "Are you out there? Can you hear me?" the Doctor looked away, "Doctor? Oh come on," she started to weep, "Angel? Please…please just get me out of here…"

Rory looked up as Angel put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it in comfort. He took a breath and looked at the Doctor, "He's coming, they both are. I'll bring them, I swear."

"Hello?" Renfrew called, stumbling towards them from the hall, dazed, "Is somebody there?" Canton lowered the gun he'd raised in surprise as the man appeared, "I think someone has been shot. I think we should help…I think…" he frowned, blinking, "I can't rem…I can't remember."

The Doctor turned and ran out of the room with River and Canton, following the man towards his office while Rory and Angel followed last. They paused, looking at the wounded alien on the ground, struggling to get back as the Doctor approached him. Canton shined his light on it as they entered the room.

"Who and what are you?" the Doctor knelt before it.

"Silence Doctor," it breathed into his mind, "We are the Silence."

The Doctor blinked as Angel stiffened, thinking back to Prisoner Zero and the Sister of the Water, all of them speaking of the 'silence.'

"And Silence will fall!"

~8~

Canton stepped out of the cell in Area 51, the soldiers aiming their guns at him automatically at the sudden move, "Hello again."

"Sir," a soldier reported, "You've been in there for _days_. What the hell have you been doing?"

"Doesn't matter. I need Dr. Shepherd here, right now."

"Sir, I need to talk to Colonel Jefferson right now!" the soldier turned to go, knowing it was protocol for the Colonel to be briefed, to be given a report by the agent of what had happened.

But Canton reached out and grabbed his arm, stopping him, "No, you really don't," and looked back at the box.

President Nixon stepped out of the cell and the soldiers snapped to attention, "Hi, fellas. I'm President Nixon. I want to tell you, on behalf of the American people, how much we appreciate all of your hard work..."

~8~

A small black and white TV was set up in the warehouse the little girl had called from, playing footage of the launch, "The target of the Apollo 11 astronauts, the moon, at lift off will be at a distance of 218,096 miles away," a reporter announced, "We've just passed the two minute mark of the countdown. T minus 1 minutes 54 seconds and counting."

The Doctor and River were on either side of the spacesuit, set up on the examination board, looking at it while Angel sat on a small crate, Rory giving her a small examination to make sure she hadn't been injured more when she'd been attacked. River wore gloves, scanning it with her device, "It's an exoskeleton, basically life-support. There's about 20 different kinds of alien tech in here."

"Who was she?" the Doctor asked, staring at the suit, "Why put her in here?"

"Put this on you don't even need to eat. See it processes sunlight directly. It's got built in weaponry, and a communication system that can hack into anything."

"Including the telephone network?"

"Easily."

"Why phone the President?"

"It defaults to the highest authority it can find. The little girl gets frightened, the most powerful man on Earth gets a phone call," she looked up to see the Doctor sniffing her blue envelope, clearly he had noticed the difference in data, "They're night terrors with a hot line to the White House," she watched as he licked it, "You won't learn anything from that envelope you know."

"Purchased on Earth, perfectly ordinary stationery, TARDIS blue. Summoned by a stranger who won't even show his face. That's a first for me how about you?"

Angel glanced up, she already knew who the card was from. She'd known, sensed it, the moment she first picked it up. And it was TARDIS blue, she glanced down at her dress, her TARDIS blue dress, and she knew, SHE had been the one to send the envelopes. But…she hadn't yet, which meant it was a future her and she felt…odd, like she knew something about it, like she'd seen something but just…didn't know what. She knew the Silence were the reason for it, she must have seen one shortly after having her vision, which meant she'd forgotten it. And that worried her.

She SHOULD be able to remember, she remembered things that hadn't happened yet, she remembered events that should have happened but that she'd changed. She was able to see past perception filters, and yet she couldn't see past the Silence and their effects. Which scared her quite a bit because that meant they were terribly, terrifyingly powerful and strong. She wasn't trying to be arrogant and say that, to fool her, was a feat, not at all. But…it had been something she'd always been able to do, to not be able to was startling and frightening.

Her attention shifted though when River stood up and looked at the Doctor as he walked closer to her, "Our lives are back to front. Your future's my past. You're firsts are my lasts."

"Not really what I asked."

"Ask something else then."

"What are the Silence doing raising a child?"

"Keeping her safe," she leaned down to continue examining the technology of the suit, "Even giving her independence."

"The only way to save Amy is to work out what the Silence is doing," he turned and walked past Rory as he finished up with Angel.

"I know," Rory nodded.

"And every single thing we learn about them brings us a step closer."

"Doctor," Angel cut in, "He knows."

The Doctor sighed, "It's possible she's not just any little girl."

"Well," River cut in, glancing at the tech, "I'd say she's human," before adding, "Going by the life support software."

"But…" the Doctor turned to her, sensing something more to it.

River sighed, rubbing her forehead, "She climbed out of this suit. Like…" she looked down at the ripped wires and picked one up to show him, "…she forced her way out," the Doctor picked up one as well.

"She must be very strong then," Angel reasoned, getting off the crate to stand beside Rory.

"Incredibly strong and running away," the Doctor nodded, starting to smile, "I like her."

"We should try to find her," Rory remarked, if the things, the Silence, who had taken Amy had first taken the little girl, there was a chance that if the aliens got the girl again, then maybe Amy was there too. If they found the little girl, they'd find Amy too!

"Yes, I know, but how?"

"I think she'll find us first," Angel breathed, having been watching the Doctor and River the entire time. She couldn't lie and say she wasn't uncomfortable with how close the Doctor and River seemed to be getting. It unnerved her how easily he got on with her, now, after the Byzantium incident she'd noticed him becoming more amused and intrigued by River instead of annoyed with her as he had been.

It was even worse because she could see into his mind, she could hear his thoughts about the woman, how they were changing, how they were growing just that little bit more…non-platonic. And that hurt her, badly, especially since all her instincts were telling her it was wrong of him, he was HER Mate, notRiver's…but he didn't exactly know that, he couldn't see it that way.

She sighed, closing her eyes a moment, knowing she had likely missed her chance to tell him about them being Mates. With River there…she was afraid he'd think she was just jealous of River and making up stories. He might even spend more time with River as a result.

"Oh, uh, Huston how do you read over?" the TV reported as the Doctor walked over to it.

"Why does it look like a NASA spacesuit?" Rory wondered, eyeing the suit as they listened to commentary.

"Because that's what the Silence do," the Doctor muttered, "Think about it. They don't make anything themselves. 'Cos they don't have to," he turned around, "They get other life forms to do it for them."

"So they're parasites then?" River asked.

"Super parasites. Standing in the shadows of human history since the very beginning," he walked towards Rory, "We know they can influence human behavior anyway they want…if they've been doing that on a global scale for thousands of years…"

"Then what?" Rory eyed him.

"Why were the humans suddenly so interested in getting to the moon?" Angel countered, hinting at the answer as they all looked at the TV.

"10…9…ignition sequence started. 6...5…4…"

"Because the Silence needed a spacesuit," the Doctor nodded.

"1…0…all engines on. Lift off. We have a lift off. 32 minutes past the hour, lift off on Apollo 11."

~8~

An older man knelt beside the Silent, examining it, "My God! What is it?"

"It's just an alien, Dr. Shepherd," Canton replied, standing behind him, sounding almost…bored, watching, his eye on the Silent.

"Someone's already been treating it," the man remarked, eyeing the bandage on the Silent's stomach.

"Yeah. _You've_ been treating it."

"Does Colonel Jefferson know this thing is here?"

"No."

"Then I'm going to tell him right now!" he got up and looked away from the Silent as he moved to leave.

"Again?" Canton sighed, not bothering to look at the man, keeping his eye on the Silent instead.

"Sorry, what?" Dr. Shepherd looked at him with a frown.

"Exactly."

"Sergeant, why was I called in here for no reason?" Shepherd sighed and walked off.

"You tend to my wounds," the Silent remarked, "You are foolish."

Canton pulled out Amy's phone which Angel had given him and held it up to the alien, recording it, "Why? What would you do in my place?"

"We have ruled your lives since your lives began. You should kill us all on sight, but you will never remember we were even here. Your will is _ours_."

"Well, sorry to disappoint you, but thanks, it's _exactly_ what I needed to hear. This is a video phone, whatever a video phone is," he ended the recording and sent the file to the Doctor.

~8~

The Doctor opened the video on River's comm. to see the Silent, "You should kill us all on sight," replayed and he smiled, looking up to see Angel sitting beside Rory by a crate, the man looking intently at Amy's recorder while Angel leaned against his side, offering comfort and support while River knelt by the examination table, still working.

He frowned, seeing Rory move to lean just a little bit on Angel as well, the two of them were very close, very very close at the moment and, while his knew it was because Amy had just been taken and both of them were upset, he couldn't help but be bothered by that.

But just as he took a step towards them, River called out, having been watching him and his expression and attention intently, having seen him head towards Angel, "This suit…" River scanned it as it twitched, "It seems to be repairing itself. How is it doing that? Doctor…a unit like this…would it ever be able to move _without_ an occupant?"

The Doctor walked over to her instead, not seeing River smirk victoriously at that, "Why?"

"Well the little girl said the spaceman was coming to eat her…maybe that's exactly what happened."

Before the Doctor could reply to that they heard Amy speak, "I love you," Rory looked up, "I know you think it's him, I know you think it _ought_ to be him, but it's not, it's you. And when I see you again I'm gonna tell you properly just to see your stupid face," Angel glanced up as the Doctor started to walk over, "My life was so boring before you just dropped out of the sky," the Doctor stopped as Rory's head drooped, both of them thinking they knew exactly who Amy was talking about, "Just…get your stupid face where I can see it alright? Ok? Ok," the Doctor sat down on the other side of Rory as he looked up.

"She'll be safe for now," the Doctor said quietly, "No point in a dead hostage," and then he grimaced, realizing how that sounded.

"Can't you save her?" Rory looked at him.

"I can track that signal back take us right to her."

"Then why haven't you?"

"Because then what? I find her and then what do I do? This isn't an alien invasion. They _live_ here. This is their empire. This is kicking the Romans out of Rome."

"Rome fell."

"I know. I was there."

"So was I," Rory murmured.

"Me too," Angel added quietly.

"Personal question…" the Doctor began.

"Seriously?" Rory looked at him, "You?"

The Doctor shrugged, "Do you ever remember it? 2,000 years waiting for Amy? The Last Centurion."

"No."

"Rory," Angel squeezed his arm gently, "You don't have to lie to us."

He sighed, "Yes."

The Doctor nodded, "That's not the sort of thing anyone forgets," he sighed and patted Rory on the shoulder, getting up to go help River, leaving Rory and Angel alone.

Rory looked down a moment before turning to Angel, all this talk about memory and forgetting bringing something to mind, "You asked me once, what I'd do if Amy ever forgot me…" he recalled, looking at her, "And you didn't want me to tell the Doctor about..." he glanced at her stomach, "It's because the Doctor is the one who forgot you, isn't it?"

Angel looked down both impressed that her companion was so clever, but also sad over the event itself. She nodded, "Yeah."

"Angel," Rory took her hand, turning to look at her more, "What happened?" he saw her bit her lip, hesitating, "I'm your companion, you can tell me anything and I'll try to help."

"I'm sorry about that," she winced.

He frowned, "About what?"

"That you got stuck with me as your Pilot," she said quietly, looking away.

Rory frowned deeply at that, actually disturbed to hear her say that, because it was so unlike her, his heart breaking at seeing the tears in her eyes, "Angel…"

"You started traveling with us for the adventure," she continued, sniffling, "To see the Universe with an amazing pilot and you got lumped with the pregnant mess who's so insignificant her own Mate's forgotten her."

"Angel," he shook his head, "I didn't miss a thing being your companion, I saw the Universe with the best Pilot ever. You're my favorite Pilot."

She gave him a small smile, "I'm your only Pilot."

"So you're my favorite," he nudged her, making her laugh, he was SO much like her and Mickey, "And you Angel," he continued, "You're everything I'd want in a Pilot, if I didn't have you as my Pilot, THEN I'd feel like I missed out, I would take the 'pregnant mess' over the Doctor any day."

Angel sighed, nodding, Rory was just so wonderful to her, he deserved to know the truth. He'd become her unofficial doctor for the baby, he was taking care of them, and needed to know what had happened, "The Doctor…he…he remembers me," she said quietly, "Just…not everything we had before…" she swallowed hard, "We were Mates. And not the friendly sort. We um, we started when he regenerated the time before last, his 10th self asked me and I said yes. It took us years Rory, years to build the mental connection, the emotional bond, and to prepare for the physical union," she blushed a bit at that, Rory able to guess what that last part was, "And everything was fine, he…he was about to regenerate and…" she shook her head, "I don't know what happened. When we regenerate we become new people," he nodded, she'd told him about that ability the Time Lords had, "And, at first I thought it was just that, that he was settling into this new personality. He was distant and almost…dismissive of me. But…he told Amy we were friends," she rubbed her head, closing her eyes, trying to hold the tears back as she recalled that time, "I reminded him I was his Mate…but he just…he took it as us being friends, he didn't even consider that we were actual _Mate_ Mates. He's been denying it everywhere we go, to everyone and…I don't know why Rory. He just…it's like he's forgotten everything we shared, every moment between us is just gone. I'm the Angel, a Time Lady, a fellow survivor and Pilot, and that's it…" she looked over her shoulder at the Doctor, her hearts breaking to see him and River smiling and laughing as they discussed the suit, "That's all I am to him."

Rory, instead of following her gaze to the Doctor, just looked at her, a deep empathy and sympathy for her. He could relate to what it was like having the person you love forget you, Amy had because at some point he'd never been born. But Amy remembered him now. It must be much worse for Angel though, because the Doctor remembered her, but didn't remember he loved her and now, he understood. The Doctor, the last Doctor, must have been the one that had conceived the baby with her, and because he'd forgotten, he had no idea about it. Not a one. And he could see why Angel didn't want a word of it breathed to the Doctor about it. He could see the hurt in her face and hear it in her words when she mentioned him denying them as Mates, he couldn't imagine what she'd feel if the man denied the baby too. He truly believed it might actually drive Angel away if the Doctor did that.

He reached out and put an arm around her shoulder, hugging her, offering the comfort and support she had been giving him. Just taking the moment to absorb everything that had been said.

"We'll get Amy back Rory," Angel added in a whisper, "I promise, cross my hearts," she crossed them, "And this won't ever happen again, I'll protect you, I'll protect you both," she nodded to herself, "You and Amy will live a happy life, together, to a ripe old age, as you're meant to."

Rory smiled a bit at that, at how…Angel that was. The girl couldn't hear to see anyone upset. Here she was, suffering as he had when Amy had forgotten him, worse than he had, and she was still trying to make HIM feel better too.

"I'll protect you too," he agreed, "You and Amy, my Pilot and my wife," he chuckled a bit, recalling what Amy had taken to calling him and the Doctor, "My girls."

~8~

One of the guards switched on the TV in the Oval Office to play footage of the Apollo 11 broadcast, "Just five days since Apollo 11 blasted off from Cape Kennedy…"

~8~

Patrons in a bar gathered around the TV, watching excitedly, "…this unprecedented journey is reaching its crucial moment. Armstrong and Aldrin are making their descent to the surface of the moon. On the ground, you've got a bunch of guys about to turn blue…"

~8~

Amy groggily awoke in a dark room, the ship Rory and River had discovered, to find herself strapped to a chair, bright lights shining in her eyes as the Silence stood before her, seeming to be quietly speaking about something. She squinted, she could see some sort of monitor before them, scans on it, shaking their over large heads at something.

"This will not do," one was rasping quietly.

"Shall we dispose of her?" another turned to it.

"Where am I?" she demanded, struggling to get out of the chair, not liking how they were speaking, not even sure if they were speaking about her or someone else that had upset their plans, "Where is this?"

The Silence turned to her, "You are Amelia Pond," one of them said, "Companion of the Doctor, wife of the Angel's companion."

Amy glared, "And you're ugly, has anyone mentioned that to you?"

"We do you honor. Because of you the Silence will fall."

"Whatever that means, you've made a bit mistake bringing me here. 'Cos wait until you see what's coming for you now."

"You have been here many days."

"No, I just got here, you just put me in here."

"Your memory is weak. You have been here many days."

"No, no I can't have been."

"You will sleep now," it started to lean over her, "Sleep…"

"No, no!"

"Sleep."

"Get off me! No! no!"

"Sleep!"

"No!"

And then the sound of the TARDIS materializing reached her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted the picture to be more of the four of them, because in this story, with Amy and Rory being the companions and married and with Angel being like Rory's sister, they're more like a family now, and that sort of picture, I think, ought to be a family one :)
> 
> But I bet this chapter confused you. A few of you theorized about Angel's baby, but...if they wanted a Time Lord baby...why not take Angel instead of Amy? They left Angel there, and, well, Amy saw Kovarian ;) I suppose, maybe, if they are something from the future, the Silence and Kovarian might know the fate of the baby and not even bother. We'll have to see what's in store for Amy }:) And I'm not saying at all who the Silence were talking about when Amy woke up. It could be her, it could be Angel, it could even be a younger River. For all we know, the Silence at that point in time have just come from Berlin, and seen River fail her mission. We'll have to wait and see :)
> 
> Did you like the little moment where the Doctor had River change outfits? Lol, I said it would be something he said to her and dealing with Angel, probably wasn't what you were expecting, but I hope you liked it :)


	7. Day of the Moon: The Silence

The Silence all turned, hearing the wheezing as well, to see the Doctor step out of the blue box that had appeared behind them in the back of the room, "Oh!" he looked around at the very familiar setting, recognizing the ship all too easily, "Interesting. Very Aickman Road. Seen one of these before," River, Rory, and Angel stepped out, Angel pausing when she saw it was the ship from Craig's, "Abandoned. Wonder how that happened," he glanced at Angel who shrugged, she had no idea, "Oh well," he shrugged too, spinning around to face the TARDIS, "I suppose I'm about to find out. Rory, River, Angel, keep one Silence in eyeshot at all times," he turned back around, "Oh! Hello, sorry, were you in the middle of something? Just had to say though…" he grabbed a TV from just within the TARDIS and walked forward, "Have you seen what's on the telly?"

"Amy," Angel called, still feeling so incredibly guilty that she hadn't been able to protect Amy, that the ginger had been taken because of her. She, to be honest, didn't really remember what had happened. She remembered seeing a picture of the four of them, turning around and seeing the girl begging for help…before…she woke up on the floor of the room with Rory hovering over her, concerned, "Are you ok?" she asked, biting her lip, not seeing the Doctor glance at her lips before they flew back to the Silence, shaking his head at that.

Amy just let out a breath of relief, knowing she was safe now that they were there, "Better," she answered.

Rory smiled at that, leave it to Angel to be the one to worry about Amy's wellbeing. He knew the Doctor was as well, he as very worried, Amy was his companion, but he also knew how the man could get when facing a challenge, joking or sometimes even very distracted, but Angel was being serious, she wanted to know Amy was ok and not just as a passing remark.

"Want to watch some television?" the Doctor grinned, holding up the TV, though he was very relieved that she was ok too, that they'd been in time to keep the Silence from affecting her too much, Angel had said it, as soon as they came up with a plan, had said that she was sure Amy was alright, that she'd be fine. For a brief moment he'd wondered if it was wishful thinking or guilt coming up that was making her say that instead of a real feeling but…she'd been too serious when she'd said that.

He'd found that…he was rather good at determining little things in Angel's behavior, in her words and tones and expressions…and it wasn't because the last year or so when it had been just them that he'd been watching her more. It wasn't that he was even more aware of her than he was, or that he was worse when she wasn't around and that, when she was back, he couldn't help but stare at her longer or stand nearer to her. Not at all. Nope.

There were still some things he couldn't quite…get…when she would talk about it or avoid talking about it really. There were some tones he was still trying to figure out but…every time one happened, he felt…disappointed, like he SHOULD know what that tone meant, like it was or should be quite obvious to him, especially to him, how she felt but it just…wasn't. He didn't know why it actually hurt to think that he 'especially' should know, but he supposed he'd work it out eventually.

He winked at Amy, pulling himself from his thoughts, and set the TV up before her, "Ah, no," he glanced at the Silence as they stepped towards him, "Stay where you are," River stepped up with her gun aimed at them, walking closer to the Doctor from the right side of the central console, as though to protect him, while Rory and Angel made their way around the left. The Doctor spun around to look at the Silence right behind him, "'Cos look at me. I'm confident. You want to watch that, me, when I'm confident. Oh, and this is my friend, River. Nice hair, clever. Has her own gun, and," he looked around at them, "Unlike me she doesn't mind shooting people. I shouldn't like that," he turned to River, having to admit, "Kinda do a bit."

Angel frowned at that, which made Rory frown as well. He wasn't sure if the Doctor meant that he liked the image of River with a gun or the idea of the woman shooting people. He very much doubted that it was the second option, but…if it was…well, that made him _very_ uncomfortable, Angel as well, he'd guess, the Doctor he'd first met hadn't seemed to enjoy the thoughts of weapons or anything, as he'd told Guido…yet here he was, saying he didn't mind River using them. That just didn't sit right with him. But then again, neither did the first thought, that the Doctor liked the image of River with a gun. Because now, knowing what he did of Angel and the Doctor's history with her, hearing the Doctor talk about another woman like that was just…wrong.

River backed towards the Doctor, looking at him over her shoulder, "Thank you sweetie."

"I know you're team players and everything, but she'll definitely kill the first 3 of you…"

River hit her back with his, "Oh, the first 7 easily."

"7, really?" he remarked, actually sounding a tiny bit impressed.

River smirked and leaned her head back onto his shoulder, whispering in his ear, "8 for you honey."

"Stop it…" the Doctor grinned, not looking at River though he seemed far too comfortable with her being so close…

"Make me," she said in a breathy way as she rubbed against his back.

"Yeah, well, maybe I will," he actually… _flirted back_.

"Is this really important flirting?" Amy snapped, "'Cos I feel like I should be high on the list right now."

Rory looked back at Angel at Amy's words to see her looking away, masking the action with pretending to look at the Silence but he could tell, he could see it now. Angel COULD have been lying, about the Doctor being the father, about her history with him, given the way the Doctor acted around her, it was plausible, and he only had her word to go on. But _he believed her_ , entirely. Not because she was his Pilot and he trusted her completely (because she had earned that trust), not because Angel didn't often lie (if she ever did), but because he could see it now, he could see it clearly, the…true and deep _hurt_ …on her face, the tears in her eyes at seeing the Doctor acting so around another woman. It wasn't a look of a woman who was jealous and hurt that a man who wasn't hers was flirting with someone else instead, but the look of a woman who was being betrayed by someone they loved deeply, there was a hurt there that he had imagined his own face had portrayed when he'd realized Amy didn't remember him…the look of having lost something that you had really had at one point. He swallowed hard, his heart breaking for her, and reached out to take her hand, squeezing it. He was starting to dislike River more and more. He didn't know if River was aware of the fact that Angel apparently had a history with the Doctor, though given her dislike and attitude towards the girl, he had to assume she did, or that she might at least, but the way she flaunted her ability to get close to the Doctor at Angel was just _cruel_. He had to wonder if her parents had ever taught her manners and respect, because this was _not_ the way any decent Human Being would treat another.

"Yes," the Doctor shook his head, "Right. Sorry! As I was saying my naughty friend here is going to kill the first 3 of you to attack plus him behind. So, maybe you want to draw lots or have a quiz…" he started to walk around the console while Rory and Angel made it to Amy's side.

"So what's he got?" Amy asked Rory quietly as he started trying to get the straps off while Angel kept an eye on the Silence around them, making sure they wouldn't be attacked unawares. She could have used the Vortex to free Amy, but that would mean leaving Rory on lookout and her distracted, and they'd both agreed the opposite would be better for all.

"Something I hope," he mumbled.

"He does," Angel murmured, having seen it in his mind, exactly what he was going to do, "And it'll work," she added.

"…or maybe you could just listen a minute," the Doctor continued, "'Cos all I really want to do is accept your total surrender and then I'll let you go in peace. Yes. You've been interfering in human history for thousands of years. Yes. People have suffered," he walked over to the Silent he'd been talking to before, "And died, but what's the point of two hearts if you can't be a bit forgiving now and then," he waited a moment but the alien was, well, silent, "Oh, the Silence you guys take that seriously don't you? Ok, you got me, I'm lying. I'm not really gonna let you go that easily. Nice thought but it's not Christmas and I'm not Angel, her hearts are three times the size of mine…"

Rory glanced over at him, seeing Angel tense at the words, before he realized…the Doctor did that a lot really, compliment her in offhanded ways or in passing remarks. At first he thought it was just him being a good man and giving a compliment when due, but now…if Mating was as close as Angel had led him to believe, as deep, then maybe…there was something in him trying to break through. But…really, what did it do for Angel? The man had JUST flirted with River in front of them and now he was complimenting Angel? He couldn't begin to imagine how confused she had to be by that, how he blew hot one moment and cold the other, going from River to her. He knew where her mind must have gone, the fact that he didn't remember her, the fact that he DID flirt with River…what if it meant he was undecided? Like…a part of him, the part of him that had regenerated, still loved Angel, but this new man he was loved River? Two parts of the man, each of his hearts, might be warring with each other, trying to decide which woman he loved more.

For Angel, he was sure, she probably was at the point where she'd rather he flirt with just her or just River and not flip back and forth between the two. That way she wouldn't get her hopes up when he was sweet to her, and then have her hearts break all over again when he turned around and flirted with River too.

He didn't know what the man felt for River, but…he was sure, HE could just feel it, that the Doctor was in love with Angel. He did things with her, little things, sweet things, that he DIDN'T do with River. The way he touched her and worried about her and acted when Angel wasn't around…it was something that was missing with River. River wasn't always there, he'd only met her twice so far, and the Doctor was fine, his normal self, but when _Angel_ wasn't there…Amy had told him that the Doctor was a wreck. That _must_ mean that he felt for Angel more than River. It HAD to…because Angel was _so sad_. He understood now why, why there was always a hint of sadness in Angel from nearly the moment he'd met her, he knew now what it was that was always lingering there. Angel was sad and he wanted her to be happy, she was his Pilot, his sister, and he cared for her deeply, he hoped that the Doctor would work out whatever was going on with him and just…be with Angel because he wanted to see her smile again. She gave him some smiles, he was usually the only one who could get a large and true smile out of her, not even the Doctor could at times (and he knew why now) but he got the feeling Angel's usual smiles (because she had struck him as a very happy person when he'd FIRST met her) must be amazing and lovely, and he felt like he hadn't seen one of those yet.

"First…" the Doctor hit a switch on the telly and turned back, making Rory shake his head and focus back on what he was doing, "You tell me about the girl. Who is she? Why is she important? What's she for?" no reply, "Guys, sorry, but you're way out of time. Now," he clapped, "Come on, a bit of history for you, "he turned back to the TV, "Aren't you proud?" and extended the antennas on it, "'Cos you helped…" he tapped the TV on and moved to lean on it, looking at the Silence as the footage of the moon landing played, "Now, do you know how many people are watching this live on the telly? Half a billion! And that's _nothing_ 'cos the Human Race will spread out among the stars. You just watched them fly, billions, and billions of them, for billions and billions of years. And every single one of them, at some point in their lives, will look back at this man," he tapped the telly, "Taking that very first step and they will _never ever_ forget it," he looked at the TV, the astronaut preparing to step down, "Oh…" he pulled out the comm., "But they'll forget this bit," he turned to look at the Silence as he held up the comm., "Ready?"

~8~

"Ready," Canton called, standing before the wounded Silent as he pressed Amy's phone against the comm. the Doctor had given him.

~8~

The green light started to flash in the module of Apollo 11.

~8~

"It's one small step for man..." the TV in the ship played…

And suddenly the footage was interrupted by a clip of the wounded Silent, giving the order that would end the reign of his species over the humans.

"You should kill us all on sight."

~8~

"You should kill us all on sight…" the men gathered around the Oval Office shook their heads as the suggestion was dropped into their minds.

~8~

"You should kill us all on sight…" the patrons in the bar blinked hard, hearing the command.

~8~

"You've given the order for your own execution," the Doctor grinned, "And the whole planet just heard you!"

Angel closed her eyes at that, she had noticed a trend whenever River appeared, genocide usually followed. River brought them to the _Byzantium_ , and the entirety of the surviving Weeping Angels, likely the last of the species given how the one had gone to rescue the others, were erased from time. River called them to 102AD, and every sun supernovaed, killing every single species on every planet in every system. And now, River appeared and the Doctor was leading the humans to attempt genocide against the Silence.

She couldn't help but feel…angry at River, this never happened, the Doctor wasn't like this when it was just them, just her with him, he wasn't so flippant about it or easy-going, he struggled with it, he felt terrible about it, he showed remorse, he was 'sorry, so sorry' to do it, he was never ever _happy_ about it or proud of it. This new him...with her he didn't kill a Star Whale, the Daleks escaped (which was terrible, she admitted), the 'husbands in the water' were still alive, the Silurians slept, the Krafayis was saved, the Shansheeth lived…but River…all she seemed to bring was destruction! And she pulled the Doctor down with her. It was like all the work she had done in pulling him, and keeping him, out of that darkness inside him just...disappeared whenever River was there, like she almost encouraged it to come out, in a way.

She shook her head, she was probably reading more into this than there was to read, trying to find some fault in River. River likely wasn't doing it on purpose, she wasn't a psychopath or anything.

"One giant leap for mankind," the footage picked up again.

"And one whacking great kick up the backside for the Silence!" the Doctor laughed.

~8~

The patrons in the bar turned to see one of the Silence standing behind them and gathered together to face it.

~8~

"You just raised an army against yourself," the Doctor continued.

~8~

Peterson, the black guard from the White House, turned and drew his gun, aiming it at the Silent standing in the doorway of the Oval Office.

~8~

"And now, for a thousand generations, you're going to be ordering them to destroy you every day," the Doctor grinned, "How fast can you run? 'Cos today's the day the Human Race threw you off of their planet!" the Silence started to advance on him, "They won't even know they're doing it. I think, quite possibly, the word you're looking for right now is…" electricity crackled, "Oops. Run!" the electricity gathered, "Guys, I mean us. Run!"

The Silence screeched as lightning surrounded them, shooting beams of it at the humans and the Time Lords. River started firing back with her blaster as the Doctor flashed the sonic around, "I can't get her out!" Rory shouted, Angel pulling him to the side as a both of energy flew past him.

"Go!" Amy told him, "Just go!"

"We are not leaving without you!"

"Will you just get your stupid face out of here?!"

Rory looked up at her, stunned, as she looked back at him confused. Angel gave him a small smile, seeing he was working out who Amy had REALLY been talking about earlier as she turned and grabbed one of the straps around Amy's wrist…

"Run!" River called, "Into the TARDIS!" she shot another Silent, "Quickly!"

"Got it," Angel unlocked the restrains, pulling one of Amy's arms over her shoulder as Rory did the same on the other side, the three of them making their way back to the TARDIS.

The Doctor ran off, scanning the building power as River kept firing, "Don't let them build to full power!" he shouted.

"I know," she shot back, "There's a reason why I'm shooting honey!" they hit back-to-back, "What are you doing?"

"Helping!"

"You've got a screwdriver, go build a cabinet!"

"That's really rude!"

She nudged him back with her bum, "Shut up and drive!" he ran into the TARDIS as River kept firing, spinning in a circle and killing all the Silence before crouching down and looking around, waiting to make sure that they were all taken out. She stood slowly as Rory opened the door to the TARDIS and peeked out. She spun the gun on her finger and put it in a holster on her leg, "My old fella didn't see that did he? He gets ever so cross," she turned back to face him.

Rory stepped out a bit more, "So…what kind of doctor are you?"

"Archeology," she pulled her gun out and fired at the last Silent that jumped up behind her, not even looking back, "Love a tomb!" she winked, which made Rory frown, that…wasn't the sort of thing he'd expect someone who may or may not be 'with' the Doctor in the future to say, before she walked into the TARDIS, running to the controls to help the Doctor and Angel pilot.

"You can let me fly it!" the Doctor protested, seeing River run up as he and Angel worked.

"Or we could go where we're supposed to," River remarked. Angel said nothing, already used to River blatantly ignoring her. But then River turned to the console to turn a knob…only for an actual _flame_ to erupt, forcing her to pull her hand away, "Oh honestly!" she snapped at the rotor, "Will you calm down!?"

"Now now dear," the Doctor tried to pat the console, "River was a great asset to us just now and…OW!" he winced as the lever he'd gone to touch heated up, nearly burning his hand, the TARDIS humming angrily.

"I think she's cross with the both of you," Angel remarked, still working at the controls with ease.

"Why?" the Doctor frowned, trying to think of what he could have done between flying the box there and confronting the Silence, and now that could have upset the box. There wasn't anything! Bit of speechmaking, bit of flirting, bit of saving the world. What was there to be cross with?

Angel just shrugged, though, as she turned to hunch over and type a command in, the Doctor and River forced to stay back lest they incur the wrath of an angry TARDIS, she have a small smile and rested her hand on the controls, ' _Thank you girl,_ ' she whispered to the TARDIS telepathically, the box humming rather proudly and happily after.

It seemed the box knew about the Doctor's little flirting with River and how that made her feel and was angry with both of them now. She got the distinct feeling that the old girl wanted them to get River back to Stormcage and away from her as quickly as possible. Which was ok with her as well, she may have promised to let the Doctor go, for the baby, but that didn't mean she was happy about it or that she wasn't hurt by seeing him truly…go.

Amy looked over from laughing at the Doctor standing there with a pout, to see Rory walk back from the doors, eyeing her, "What's a matter with you?"

"You called me stupid," he said.

"I _always_ call you stupid."

"No, uh, my _face_ ," he emphasized as Amy looked at him, confused a moment, before realizing. She looked down and opened his hand to see her recorder held in it, "I wasn't sure who you were talking about, you know, me or…" his gaze flickered to the Doctor.

"Him!?" he nearly laughed at how Amy sounded almost aghast.

"Well you _did_ say 'dropped out of the sky.'"

"It's a figure of speech moron," she kissed him.

"Thanks?"

"You're welcome," she smiled, kissing him again.

Angel looked over, watching them kiss with a small smile on her face, yes, she would protect them both as best she could. She would see them live to a ripe old age together, as it was meant to be.

~8~

The Doctor stood before Nixon in the Oval Office, shaking his hand, "So we're safe again!" Nixon cheered.

"Safe?" the Doctor scoffed, "No, of course you're not safe. There's about a billion other things out there just _waiting_ to burn your whole world," Nixon's smile faded, "But! If you want to pretend you're safe just so you can sleep at night, ok, you're safe. But you're not really," he turned to Canton, "Canton, till the next one eh?" he shook his hand.

"Looking forward to it," Canton grinned.

The Doctor turned back to Nixon, "Canton just wants to get married. Hell of a reason to kick him out of the FBI."

"I'm sure something can be arranged," Nixon smiled.

"I'm counting on it," he turned to leave, when Nixon grabbed his arm.

"Uh, Doctor…Canton here tells me you're…you're from the future and that your associate, the Angel, can actually SEE the future. Hardly seems possible but I was wondering…"

"He won't answer, depending on the question," Angel called from where she was peeking her head out from inside the TARDIS to check on them, "And I can't see everything Mr. President."

"She's right," the Doctor nodded, "About me at least. Angel, well, the things she CAN see," he let out an impressed whistle.

"But I'm a president at the beginning of his time," Nixon shook his head, "Dare I ask, will I be remembered?"

"Oh Dicky, Tricky Dicky, they're _never_ going to forget you," he patted Nixon on the shoulder and walked to the TARDIS, "Say hi to David Frost for me."

"David Frost?" Nixon muttered as he and Canton watched the TARDIS disappear. A moment later he sighed, "This person you want to marry. Black?"

"Yes," Canton nodded.

"Hmm. I know what people think of me, but perhaps I am a little more liberal…"

" _He_ is."

Nixon blinked, silent for a moment before saying, "I think the moon is far enough for now, don't you, Mr. Delaware?"

"I figured it might be," Canton shrugged.

~8~

Angel was sitting in the harness under the console just absently fiddling with the Whitepoint Star necklace as she leaned against the harness, her other hand curled around one strap of it, Rory speaking quietly to her, "I _really_ think you should tell him Angel. Don't you think he might be curious as to what he's forgotten?"

"He doesn't even know that he's forgotten anything," Angel sighed, rubbing her head, it was too complicated, memory loss, one wrong word at the wrong time could have him denying it and resistant to remembering anything.

"Who's forgotten?" Amy asked, walking down the stairs, having heard part of their conversation.

"No one," Angel said at the same time Rory said, "The Doctor."

"Rory!" Angel cried, looking up at him.

He gave her an apologetic shrug, he may have promised not to talk about the pregnancy, but that didn't mean he couldn't talk about what led up to it. It was sneaky he knew, but…he just wanted to help Angel, and Amy…she was really the _only_ one of them that had experience with memory loss, with specifically forgetting a person. If they could work out exactly how she'd remembered him, what had made her remember, because he honestly didn't know what had snapped her out of her own amnesia, then maybe there was the chance that they could do something similar for the Doctor!

"What's the Doctor forgotten?" Amy asked, looking between the two for them. And then she noticed Angel playing with her necklace, a necklace she'd had ever since she'd met the woman, and looked down at her own ring finger, her engagement ring. She thought back, recalling the time when she had forgotten Rory, what Angel had said to her just before Planet One, "He's forgotten _you_ …hasn't he?"

Angel looked up at her, startled, "How did you…"

"When I found my ring, I asked you if you'd ever forgotten something really big and important, you said _you_ hadn't but that you were the thing forgotten."

Angel looked down, she'd actually forgotten that she'd said that till Amy brought it up. She'd been about to tell the girl what happened, but…things got in the way.

"He's forgotten they were together," Rory told Amy quietly, Amy had told him how the Doctor _insisted_ that he and Angel were 'mates' and he knew, saying that particular word now would only confuse his wife.

"Angel you _have_ to tell him!" Amy turned to her, completely stunned.

Not only did the Doctor deserve to know, but now it all made sense! Everything made sense! About Angel, her reaction to things, how she acted around the Doctor, the things she knew about him, even hers and River's relationship (which she still wasn't sure how it had become what it was, but still made a tiny bit more sense). It explained why Angel was so sad. Even though she was the Doctor's companion, she DID notice that Angel had just…steadily gotten sadder over their adventures, till Rory had come along.

And what she said to her in the Calvierri school…she stopped at that and blinked, holy…

She couldn't believe it!

Angel, what she'd said about that man she loved on Gallifrey, about having someone love you and losing someone…she'd been talking about _the Doctor_ that entire time! She felt like her entire outlook on everything had to be redone, especially River, that whole thing was a mess she didn't understand but right now that wasn't the topic, the topic was the Doctor's own bout of memory loss.

"What good would that do?" Angel sighed, defeated, a sound that had both Amy and Rory looking at each other worriedly, this was _not_ the same Angel they had first met who had been rushing around and smiling and laughing and helping to save the planet, so…confident in her and the Doctor and their ability to stop Zero. Angel shook her head, what as the point? She'd flat out _told him_ she was his Mate and it had gotten her nowhere, only giving her the worst heartache of her life, it hurt more than finding out her mother had died, or seeing her sister murdered before her, "He doesn't even know he's forgotten."

"I didn't realize I'd forgotten Rory when he'd fallen through the crack," Amy argued, "But deep down, I _did_ know something was missing. You know that. I would have given _anything_ to know what it was. You _have_ to tell him. He deserves to know."

"Yes and that's just it. _Deep down_ you realized it. The Doctor doesn't."

"I think he does," Amy countered.

She saw it sometimes, the way the Doctor would look at Angel, the way he acted without her there. She doubted he even realized he was doing it but there was something in his gaze, something akin to recognition, to longing, but just before it reached fruition he would look away or something would disrupt his thoughts. She…she also noticed the way he acted around her, or more correctly, the way he DIDN'T act around her. He didn't notice her as much or seem to worry about her at times when he did other times or look after her first but it was the WAY he did it. It was almost like he was _purposely_ forcing himself not to, as though, if he got too close, something would happen.

She'd seen it in herself at times when she was REALLY trying to make herself like some random boy before she'd dated Rory. She'd put all her attention and focus and drive into trying to make herself feel _something_ that it was just too obvious that it wouldn't work. It was the same thing but in reverse, he was trying SO hard to keep himself away from her, too hard. Thinks kept slipping through, other little looks, touches, remarks, little moments here and there that told her that…something was pulling him to Angel, something he didn't understand or even realize, and so, subconsciously, he pushed himself away from her. But there was something there, something that just needed a nudge…

Angel looked up at her, eyeing her a moment, scarcely daring to hope, but…here were _Amy_ and _Rory_ , two people she trusted and valued the opinion of, and Amy was the Doctor's companion, the second closest woman to him in his life (if she could still have counted herself as first given being his Mate), "…do you think?"

"I _know_ ," Amy smiled at her, it was like how she kept looking at her ring, trying to find the answer but then pushing it away and giving it to the Doctor when she'd come close to realizing the truth, and all it had really taken was Rory himself, insisting that he knew her deeply, that he was someone to her, getting closer to her, "Tell him."

"He may not believe me," Angel remarked, standing up hesitantly, biting her lip.

"But might," Rory countered, giving her an encouraging smile.

Angel nodded and took a breath, heading for the door from below, past the stairs that led to the console, if she didn't do this now, with Rory and Amy backing her up, she feared she never would.

~8~

The Doctor was leaning against the barred doorway of River's cell in Stormcage as she stood inside it, smiling at him, "You could come with us," he offered.

"I escape often enough thank you. And I have a promise to live up to," she fixed his bowtie, resting her hand on his chest a moment, feeling his hearts beating, as she looked up into his eyes, "You'll understand soon enough."

"Ok, up to you," he turned and walked back to the TARDIS, "See you next time. Call me!"

"What? That's it?" she laughed as he turned and walked back to her, "What's the matter with you?"

He held his arms out, confused, "Have I forgotten something?" he leaned on the doorway again.

River glanced over, hearing the TARDIS door open, and spotted Angel step out in the corner of her eye, and _grinned_ , oh brilliant.

One thing could be said, Angel really did have the most _perfect_ timing.

"Oh, shut up," River reached forward, and pulled him to her, kissing the Doctor deeply.

~8~

Angel stepped out of the TARDIS…and her hearts shattered.

She blinked, shaking her head at the sight before her, knowing she wasn't imagining things, before she quickly headed back in, "No Amy…" she whispered as she passed her and Rory, waiting just a few feet in front of the door, "I don't think he'd believe me."

Amy frowned, watching Angel walk past her, tears in her eyes as she headed to the console. She turned and ran to the doors, Rory with her, peeking out to see the Doctor and River _kissing_. Her mouth dropped open and she shook her head in disbelief. Neither her nor Rory seemed to notice the awkwardness of the kiss or how the Doctor didn't seem to be kissing back.

…though Rory DID notice the scowl making its way onto Amy's face and quickly pulled her back into the TARDIS, shutting the doors with his foot as he literally had to pull his wife, kicking and screaming, away from the doors.

"Rory let me go!" Amy shouted, struggling.

"Amy calm down…" really though, he _wanted_ to let her go, his wife was a spitfire, and when she saw something that she didn't like happening, she went at it…and he really would like nothing more than to see his wife call the Doctor out, but he also knew she could be violent when she wanted and she'd likely attack the Doctor too, shouting at him random bits the man wouldn't understand and just make a bigger mess of all of this for Angel to deal with. She didn't know everything he did about what had happened either.

"But he's _kissing_ her!" Amy yelled, trying to pry his fingers open so she could go smack the Doctor.

She didn't know what it was, she'd been all for River being his wife only a few months ago, but now…she'd been seeing a side of River she didn't like, a side of her she couldn't imagine working well with the Doctor. The Doctor was very important to her, she wanted what was best for him. Slowly she'd been starting to think that wasn't River. More and more her mind had gone to Angel, to thinking that she might be a better match for her favorite Time Lord, and now, to find out they WERE something…and then to see the Doctor kissing River, even if he didn't remember, it just…Angel didn't deserve that!

"Yeah, Amy I know," Rory said quietly, before adding in her ear, "And guess who else knows," he squeezed her around the middle.

Amy stilled, realizing who that 'someone else' was, _Angel_. The Time Lady, at their insistence, had just been confronted with what was likely her worst fears ever…she _didn't_ need them attacking the Doctor, no, right now…

She turned, Rory letting go of her as he felt a shift in her thoughts, watching as Amy ran up to the console and just…hugged Angel as the girl stared ahead, tears in her eyes that broke his heart. He swallowed and moved to join them, the two of them hugging Angel tightly as she shook in their arms but didn't let the tears fall.

"I said I'd be ok with it," she whispered, "But I'm not. I'm really not."

They didn't know what she was talking about, but the crack in her voice…they couldn't bring themselves to ask, so they just stood there, hugging her, trying to comfort her like she always did them.

~8~

"Right…" the Doctor said as he pulled away, well, as River let him pull away, "Ok, interesting," he scratched the right side of his face, shifting, feeling quite uncomfortable.

"What's wrong?" River asked a bit…too innocently…as she smirked at him, "You're acting like we've _never_ done that before."

"We haven't," he told her, scratching the left side of his hair too, not quite sure how he should feel about her implying that, for her, they _had_ done this before.

"We haven't?" River tried to sound shocked. Internally though, she wished Angel was there so she could bask in her victory, this really was FAR too easy.

"Oh, look at the time, must be off," he looked at her, "Um, but it was very nice?" he wasn't sure what to say to that without sounding terrible, "It was good?" before he found it, "t was…unexpected," he stopped at the doors of the TARDIS and looked back at her, "You know what they say. There's a first time for everything," he got in the TARDIS.

River sighed, watching the box fade, "And a last time," she agreed, knowing what would happen next time the Doctor really met her…

~8~

The Doctor ran up to the console, ready to get out of there, when he noticed three things, Rory was standing by Angel, quietly speaking to her, Angel was studiously ignoring him as she wiped something under her eye and focused intently on the controls, and Amy was looking at _him_ from where she as sitting on the jump seat, seeming rather peeved.

"Everything alright?" he eyed them.

Amy opened her mouth, about to start in on him, when…

"Yeah," Angel called quietly, moving around the console, "Everything's fine," before she started patting the rotor and whispering to the box pleadingly.

He nodded, giving the two companions another look as they seemed to watch at Angel, before he turned to help her at the controls, which, for once, didn't spark or resist him…

He didn't notice Angel whisper her thanks to the TARDIS for that, or the box hum with a terrible sadness.

~8~

"Uh Rory!" the Doctor called, "I'm going to need thermo-couplings, green ones and blue ones," he walked around the console to where Rory and Amy were quietly talking.

"Ok," he nodded, "Hold on," he turned and walked down the stairs, heading for the couplings that Angel had shown him before.

"So…" the Doctor leaned on the console beside Amy.

"So?" Amy asked tersely, still very, very cross with him for what he'd (unknowingly) done to Angel just before.

"You're ok?" he frowned at her.

Angel came around on Amy's other side and put a hand on the woman's shoulder. Amy looked at her a moment before sighing and nodding, Angel had asked them not to say anything, not to bring it up, she didn't want to deal with talking to the Doctor about all of this and have to discuss River Song either at the moment, which was understandable. Rory had agreed and had been telling her just then that it would hurt Angel more to have to go through talking about what happened yet again with the pain being so fresh. To give it some time before they said anything, for Angel.

"Fine," Amy sighed, "Head's a bit weird. There was lots of stuff I can't quite…remember…" she shook her head.

"Aftereffect of the Silence. Natural enough. Now. That's not what I was asking," he crossed his arms, "You told us you were pregnant."

"Yes..."

"Why?"

"'Cos I thought I was?" she shrugged, "Turns out. I wasn't," she really had, the queasy feelings she had been getting on and off, she'd though it was a sign of pregnancy, but then they'd learned that Rory and even the Doctor seemed to have experienced it as well and realized she'd been silly.

"No, why did you tell _us_?"

"'Cos you were my friends. You're my best friends."

"What about Rory?" Angel asked her with a smile, "Did you tell him?"

Amy looked away, "No."

"Amy, why tell us and not Rory?" the Doctor frowned.

"Why do you think?"

"I don't know."

"I traveled with you two in this TARDIS for so long. All that time…if I was pregnant for some of it wouldn't it have had an effect? I don't want to tell Rory that his baby might have three heads or it's got a time head or something…"

"What's a time head?" the Doctor nudged her.

"I don't know, but what if it had one?"

The Doctor laughed, "A _time head_?"

"Shut up. Alright?" she laughed before calling out, "Oi stupid face!" when she saw Angel tap her ear.

"Uh, yeah?" Rory walked back up the stairs, holding Amy's recorder in his hand guiltily, "Hello."

"I'm taking that away from you if you're gonna listen in all the time," Amy walked over to him.

"Ok, I suppose that's a fair point. But you should have told me that you thought you were pregnant. I'm a nurse. I'm _good_ with pregnancy," he and Angel shared a secret smile.

"Not, as it turns out, that good. Will you stop being stupid?" Amy hugged him.

"Uh, no! Never!" he hugged her tightly, swinging her off the ground, "I'm never ever gonna stop being stupid!"

~oOo~

_"I'm never ever gonna stop being wonderful to you!" he cheered, spinning Angel around, "The light of the Universe!" and she really was, she was his shining light in the darkness._

_"Theta!" she squealed as he hoisted her up, just holding her above him, looking up at her with a soft smile, "Put me down!" she looked around, realizing she'd been a bit loud just then, and spotted an old man in the distance on top of a hill, looking at the stars. She hoped her shouts hadn't disturbed him._

_"Hmm..." he seemed to think on it, "Nope!"_

_"What?" she laughed, looking back at him._

_"I will not put you down...unless..."_

_"Unless what?"_

_"It'll cost you."_

_"Cost me what?" she raised an eyebrow at him, amused._

_"A kiss...or three."_

_She shook her head, smiling at him, "Now there's a price I'll gladly pay," she remarked before she leaned down and kissed him, him slowly letting her slide through his arms till she was on the ground, not letting her go though._

_He would never let her go._

~oOo~

Amy laughed, making the Doctor shake his head and look at her, Angel just watched sadly with a smile on her face at their closeness.

"So!" the Doctor clapped, "This little girl," he grabbed the monitor and swung it around, "It's all about her. Who was she? Or we could just go off and have some adventures. Anyone in the mood for adventures? 'Cos I am. You only live once!"

Amy and Rory exchanged a look at the 'living' part as Amy reached out and grabbed Angel's hand, squeezing it tightly as though to remind herself Angel was still there…for now. River might not have been willing to help them try to save Angel, but she and Rory would, they'd do whatever they could to keep her safe.

The Doctor glanced at them and smiled, looking at the monitor as it read:

_Amelia Pond_  
_Full body scan in progress_  
_Pregnancy…_

He frowned as the result flashed between positive and negative, over and over, and cast a worried look at Amy.

~8~

_6 months later…_

A little girl walked through the dark streets of New York one night in early 1970, stepping out from behind a dumpster, coughing, as a homeless man with a cart looked over at her, "You ok?" he called, "Little girl? Are you ok?"

She looked up at him and smiled at his concern, "It's alright. It's quite alright. I'm dying. But I can fix that. It's easy really. See?" she held out her hands as they started to glow orange and laughed.

The man looked stunned and scared, turning to run off as she threw her head and arms back, the orange regeneration energy shooting out of her…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dum dum duh! The River-kiss HAPPENED!? O.O River how could you!? You just...and the Doctor he...what?! Poor Angel, that must have 'killed her' to see ;) I can say this moment...there's more to it than it might seem and it will play a BIG role later in the Saga ;) But now Amy knows...at least about the amnesia! Lol, did you like her reaction to the kiss? I could see her reacting first and asking questions later whereas Rory is the more 'let's think about this' before doing person :) That's why I think they fit with each other, in a way they balance each other, like the Doctor and Angel :)
> 
> But now we see, regeneration :( I think Angel was so worried about not letting Rory and Amy 'begin' anything in the TARDIS, in flight, through the Vortex, during a Christmas Carol that she may have not taken into account that things can affect a baby even after it's conceived :( Awww :(


	8. Bad Night

It was night in the TARDIS, the phone on the console ringing repeatedly but the Doctor, it seemed, wasn't in to answer it. Amy grumbled to herself, wondering where Angel was at least, she'd have picked up the phone just a second before it rang which would have let her continue to sleep.

She yawned, reaching forward to pick up the phone,, "Hello?" she glanced around, "He's not here, who's speaking?" she frowned, swatting at a fly buzzing in her face, "Uh, sorry, the prince of where?" she flicked her hand by her shoulder, the dratted fly, "Which one? No, no, no, which prince not which Wales. Um…" she spotted a rolled up newspaper, "What year is this?" and managed to swat the fly on the console.

She smirked, ha! Take that fly.

Suddenly the doors opened and Angel, dressed in a TARDIS blue strapless dress that went down to the floor, flowing out from her bust, a small black wrap around her back and hanging over her elbows, rushed in, holding the door open for the Doctor to enter. He himself was dressed in a black suit with a top hat, holding a fishbowl with a large goldfish in it, "I think that's probably for me!" he rushed to the console as Angel shut the doors, shifting her wrap to fall in front of her stomach, and joined him, "Hold this!"

"But Doctor it's…" Angel began but he just gave the fish to Amy and took the phone, frantic.

"Hello! Ah! Yes, everything's fine! Don't worry…" though contrary to his words he began to pace with the phone, "Well exactly," he walked past Amy who ducked under the wire with Angel, "Why should you be worrying. Who even mentioned worrying?" he walked back, making them duck again, "She's fine!"

"Doctor she's…" Angel tried again.

"No, your mum is...your mum is fine," he put the phone to his shoulder to hiss at Amy, "Don't answer this phone. Angel or I answer this phone."

"Where have you _been_?" Amy asked quietly.

"Party, just a party," he picked the phone up again, "Um, yes, your mum is here actually…"

"No, Doctor, it's…" Angel sighed.

He held up a finger, "But she can't come to the phone at the moment. Well she's…busy. Well you know…the Commonwealth," he looked at the fish and leaned over to speak to it quietly, "It's your son, mum, he wants to talk to you," he held up the phone to the bowl but then realized, it was a _fish_ and pulled back, "Oh we can't let him see you like this…"

"It's not…"

"Well, hear you, not that he could hear you, you're a fish!" the phone rang again and he put it to his ear, "Sorry, I've got another call coming in," he nodded to Angel who sighed and typed something into the controls, patching through the next call, "Hello?!" he winced, "There is not a bit of use yelling, Ambassador. Your Warrior Chief is trapped in my TARDIS and until you've turned Her Majesty here," he tapped the fish's glass, "Back into a Human Being, he's staying put."

"That's not Her Maj…"

"Don't worry," he waved Angel off, pointing at the phone, "Perfectly safe…" and then he noticed she hadn't stopped talking because of _him_ but because she'd spotted a roll of paper on the console with a dead fly stuck to it, "Just putting you on hold…" he handed the phone to Angel, who put it down, and lifted the paper to look at the fly before turning to Amy, "What have you done?"

She gave them a hesitant, sheepish smile, "I thought it was a fly…"

"So much for the slaughterer of 10 million souls…" he muttered as he threw it away.

"What is going on?!" Amy demanded.

"We were at a party. There was a slight incident."

"That's what I've been trying to tell you," Angel cut in, "Doctor that's not…"

"Wait," Amy shook her head, confused and slightly hurt, "What, so you sneak out at night to party?" she looked between them, "Is that why you're all dressed up?" he tugged his bowtie, "You _never_ dress up..." and then she thought of something that made her put her hand on her hip and give him a hard look, "Is River at the party?"

Angel just barely managed to contain her wince. Because yes, River was. And yes, she got the impression that they had gotten dressed up (or the Doctor had) for the woman. Yes, the Doctor's reaction to HER in her dress had been adorable, he'd just stared at her and told her she looked lovely...but then they'd stepped out of the TARDIS and it was all mingling and River and dancing and River and she'd just...wandered, speaking with a few dignitaries, helped alleviate some of the damage the Doctor unintentionally did in his rudeness with other dignitaries, prevented a few wars...

The Doctor took off his hat, avoiding the question, "Oh why would she be there?" he walked around the console.

Why did it have to be River that got him dressed up? Couldn't he just get dressed up for the fun of it? Look good when he felt good too? Or why couldn't he dress up to try and get Angel to dress up too? She looked quite lovely in her gown, blue certainly fit her very well. And it was always fun to try and 'fit in' with the royals out there, almost made him feel like a master of disguise, blending in when he needed too. And it was a party! You had to get dressed up for a party!

Amy just followed him, having seen Angel look down sadly at her words, "Don't, just _don't_ _lie_ to me Doctor. You're rubbish at it."

If he was at a party with River she wanted to know! Rory was asleep and if River was out there, he wouldn't be able to stop her from having words with the woman about quite a few things.

"No, I do not sneak out at night with Angel to parties with...with...with River Song," he put his hat on Amy.

"Hmm," she followed him back to the other side of the TARDIS where Angel was standing, "How is she?"

"Fine."

"See? Rubbish! Why can't you just tell the truth like Angel, it was just one question!"

The Doctor frowned, "Why are you being so snippy?"

"I am not snippy!" Amy narrowed her eyes, half-shoving the fish back into his hold. This was not good, because she knew that she really was being snippy, it was just...so much was going on, and not just finding out the truth about Angel and the Doctor's past history, but...she hadn't been sleeping all that well, and that usually made for a very cranky Amy.

Angel frowned, seeming to sense that, "Amy are you alright?"

"No," Amy admitted, before rolling her eyes when she saw the Doctor's own eyes widen and the man make a break for the doors, "Doctor!" she shouted and he stopped, "Doctor," she repeated more softly and he turned to face her as she slowly walked down the stairs, Angel remaining where she was, "I…I need to talk to you…there is a reason why I couldn't sleep."

"…RORY!" the Doctor yelled.

"What are you _doing_?!" she whispered, her eyes wide.

"You've got the serious face on," he pointed at her accusingly, "I always shout for Rory when you've got the serious face. RORY! She's having an emotion!"

"What?" Rory yawned, appearing at the top of the stairs, pulling on a robe, "What's wrong Amy?"

"Why are you calling _him_?" Amy asked.

"It's his turn," Angel called, having given up on trying to tell the Doctor what had happened with the fish.

The Doctor nodded and started to leave.

"You two have turns?!" Amy turned to Rory, angry.

"NOOOO!" the Doctor cried. They looked over at him to see him standing by the doors, staring at the fish in horror, "We've the wrong fish…I've taken the wrong fish!" he looked at Angel, alarmed, "Why didn't you warn me!?"

Angel shook her head, "I've been trying to tell you since you ran off with it!" River hadn't let her get a word in when she'd tried to warn him out there too.

He blinked, smiling sheepishly as he realized she _had_ been trying to get a word in for quite a while, he'd just been so frantic trying to prevent a war that he just...hadn't noticed. He turned and opened the door, calling out, "River we've got the wrong fish!" he looked back at them, "Uh, look sorry you two, I've made a mistake. Come on Angel, we've got three hours to save the Commonwealth!"

Angel sighed and headed down the stairs, knowing he'd need her help to find the right fish. Apparently there was a raffle going on, one set of prizes were goldfish, about 10 of them, so the Doctor would really have his work cut out for him given that he'd soniced the fish and not noticed that it wasn't really Her Majesty.

"What happens in 3 hours?" Rory frowned.

The Doctor dashed forward and took his hat back off Amy's head, "The pet shops open!"

He walked past Angel, who had held the doors open for him, and dashed outside with the fish.

"Angel," Amy called, making her pause before following him. She looked over at them to see them looking at her in concern, "Are you alright?" she knew it couldn't be easy for the girl to be out there with River Song. She and Rory could both see how much him being with River affected her, both realizing that the two must have been _very_ close before whatever happened that made the Doctor forget.

"I'm always alright," she whispered, mimicking the Doctor's words. She gave them a sad, tired smile, "KBO Amy."

The ginger nodded as Angel headed out before she turned and hugged her husband tightly, both of them had been trying their hardest to come up with ways to try and get the Doctor to remember Angel, but nothing was working...

~8~

Angel sighed as she shut the doors behind her, looking up to see the Doctor seemed to be trying to search the room, standing only a few feet away.

"Ah Angel," he grinned, "Keep an eye on Not-Her Majesty," he handed her the fish, "I need to have a quick chat with River..."

She watched as he ran off to the curly haired woman across the room, leaning causally against a bar in a slinky dress, the woman smirking wider as he came nearer to her. She shook her head, not wanting to watch them any longer, and walked over to a small table. She set the fish down gently, conscious of the fact that it was still a fish and deserved to not be jostled around. She looked around the room, just letting her mind wander, trying not to look at the Doctor and River who were both standing a bit too close for her comfort, River leaning in to whisper things to the Doctor who just grinned and likely flirted back in his slightly-oblivious way.

Which was why she nearly jumped out of her skin when someone plopped next to her with a, "Found her!"

She looked over to see it was the Doctor, grinning at her as he set a small white goldfish onto the table beside the orange goldfish.

He laughed, "Sorry, scared you didn't I?"

"It's fine," she waved it off, looking away.

"How is Not-Her Majesty doing?" he leaned in to look at the fish.

"She's fine."

He nodded, glancing at her from where he was leaning against the table, "Are YOU ok?"

"I'm f..."

"Fine?" he cut in, leaning back to look at her intently, "Angel..."

He'd noticed, ever since they'd dealt with the Silence, he and Angel refreshing their memories of the aliens every day using the photo from Amy's phone to make sure they didn't forget the aliens, Angel was...quieter. She was more solemn, hung back more on adventures, seemed to prefer talking to Rory more than him, even spent a bit more time with Amy. Whenever they finished an adventure, she'd just go to her room or he'd later see her working on the TARDIS, but...she seemed to be avoiding him.

One time he'd even walked in on her on the phone with Sarah Jane, which wasn't a bad thing but...she didn't usually talk to Sarah Jane but more Jack or Mickey or the others. He was curious about what they'd talked of, but just...he didn't want to invade their privacy. And it was good that Angel was bonding with his older companions.

Wasn't it?

She shrugged, "I'm _fine_."

And she was...to a point. She was alive and healthy and the baby was alive and, with Rory there, the pregnancy was going just a bit better than she'd hoped it might. So, in a way, she was fine. But just...fine.

He sighed, "What's wrong?" he frowned, seeing her glance over at where River was speaking to some guest or another, "Did River say something to you?"

He'd noticed that River and Angel had a...tense...relationship at best, it had been one reason he'd tried to spend a bit more time with River that night. If River was with him and Angel was free to mingle with the guests and make friends, something he knew she loved doing, then River couldn't be short with her. He'd thought it might make her night more enjoyable, but...he'd seen her sitting there while he'd been talking to River about the wrong fish, only for River to hand him the white goldfish who WAS Her Majesty, and noticed Angel's expression.

She was... _sad_.

He didn't like it.

"No," she answered, how could River say anything to her, the Doctor had barely left the woman's side all night.

"Did she do something then?" he shook his head, trying to work it out.

Angel was silent.

"Angel, what did she do?"

She closed her eyes, "It wasn't _her_."

He blinked, confused, "Did...did _I_ do something to upset you?"

She bit her lip, her hand resting on her stomach under the table, yes, he did. Of course he did. He just KEPT doing things to upset her and didn't even seem to realize.

She had promised to give him up, for the sake of the baby, her bargain with the Universe. And though it killed her, if he wanted River, he could go be with River (though she begged for anyone BUT River), just so long as she and the baby were ok, as long as their baby was ok, that way she'd still have him in a way, she'd still have a bit of the man she loved, the man who loved her, with her even if his current self was with River.

That...to be honest...that kiss she'd seen, was actually only half of the reason for her distance from him. She had done it on purpose, been quieter, more withdrawn, because...it _hurt_. It hurt so much to see him with River, she thought, maybe if she tried to keep away from him...it might hurt less.

If only she could fall out of love as easily as she'd fallen into it. But that was never the case was it? She knew in her hearts and soul she'd love the Doctor forever, no matter what he did to her. Her mother had always said that she had the strongest hearts ever, because once she let someone into them, they never left her and that the only people she let into her hearts were the people who deserved to be there. She'd been a bit intuitive even as a child, she always knew what sort of people would be genuine friends to her, even if it was only one person.

Really though, the part that got to her, the second half of her silence...was him. Was the side of him she'd seen come out with the Silence.

"Do you remember," she began, "When you were in the Vault of the Crucible, and Davros was baiting you?" she looked at him as he eyed her intently, actually focusing his full attention on her, "How he said that you took all your companions and made them into weapons, into murderers?"

~oOo~

_There had been so many, so many people who had NEARLY died in his name. The Controller, Lynda, Sir Robert, Mrs. Moore, Ursula, Chantho, Astrid, Luke, Jenny…and so many more, all of them, by rights, probably should have been dead if not for Angel. She had saved them. Her and her abilities, she had saved so many people he couldn't. She was always there for him, his light in the darkness, his angel._

_But she wasn't there now…she wasn't there to guide them all out of the darkness with her warmth and her hearts. He closed his eyes, barely holding it together as he trembled, broken, she was dead. Davros was right, she was dead because of him. She wouldn't be there to save anyone, and really…was anything worth saving anymore…was his life even worth living without her?_

_She was his hearts and soul, his entire Universe._

_"The Doctor...the man who keeps running," Davros spoke, taking great pleasure in his suffering, "Never looking back, because he dare not, out of shame. This is my final victory, Doctor. I have shown you...yourself."_

_He closed his eyes, seeming entirely broken. He just brought death and destruction wherever he went, even to his own Mate._

~oOo~

"Vaguely," he frowned, not able to fully recall that memory, not sure he really wanted to.

She stared at him a long while and he didn't look away, "Do you remember how devastated you were to hear him say that?"

"Yes. But what's that got to do with anything?"

"Doctor..." she shook her head sadly at him, he couldn't even see it could he? "You turned the whole of the Human Race into that. Into weapons. Into murderers. You made it so the command was given to kill the Silence!"

He blinked, shaking his head at that, "No, no, all I did was give the humans a way to fight back. Angel they couldn't even remember the Silence. They deserved to know their enemy existed and..."

"And you could have just done that," she cut in, making him pause, making his mouth drop open to see tears in her eyes, "You could have taken that advantage away from the Silence. You could have shown the clip of them, used your own voice to give the command to _remember_ them when seen. The humans would have remembered, the Silence wouldn't have been able to control them anymore. They would have had to flee regardless," she swallowed, "But you...you made the humans _kill_."

"I...I just...I was..." he stuttered, blinking rapidly at her words, not sure at all what to say to that.

"My _family_ are humans," she added quietly, "My brothers and my sister, my auntie and my companion, my best friend...they're human Doctor. They will be _forced_ to kill, they won't have a choice in it now. Because of what you did."

"Angel I..." he shook his head, he honestly hadn't thought about that. By playing that footage...he'd taken that option away from the humans. He closed his eyes tightly, realizing the true magnitude of what he'd done, children... _children_ would be forced to kill as well should they encounter a Silent, every single human, turned into murderers because of _him_ , "I just thought, when River suggested it, that it would be a way to scare the Silence away from Earth."

Angel nearly scoffed at that, she should have known it was River's idea. Rory had taken her to the wardrobe to change after they'd captured the wounded Silent, both of them needing a distraction from Amy's capture if only for a moment or two. They'd returned to the console room to see River and the Doctor discussing something and nodding, the Doctor cheering that they had a brilliant plan on how to stop the Silence.

"Which Silence though?" she asked.

"What?"

"The Silence in that ship, yes," she nodded, "They'd know about the threat, they'd run away. But what about all the other Silence on Earth? All the ones who stood there as the humans turned on them, who tried to command them to stop and were killed because they _didn't_ know about your threat? How many died on Earth before the command was given to retreat?"

He swallowed hard, thinking on that. Angel looked at him sadly, not fearfully, which he supposed he had to be thankful for. He didn't know what he'd do if Angel ever feared him. She was...she was probably the only person in the Universe who was never frightened of him. Even when he'd snapped at her on the roof of the museum, River and Amy and Rory had jumped but she'd just stood there.

"I don't like the person you become when River is around," she whispered, "Because that man...the one who condones genocide with a smile and a laugh..." she blinked and his hearts broke seeing a tear fall from it, "That's not a Doctor I can stay with."

And with that, she got up and turned to walk away.

"Angel!" he shouted, leaping to his feet to grab her hand, stilling her, his hearts stopping, his hands trembling as they lightly held her wrist, his mind racing, his chest constricting as though he couldn't breathe, "Don't go," he pleaded as she turned to look at him, "Please," he nearly begged...no, he fully begged, "Please don't go, please. It won't happen again, I swear," he crossed his hearts with one hand, not willing to let go of her hand with his other, "Please, I...I don't know why I did it...I...I'll ask you, I'll listen to _you_ , whatever you want to do, I'll do it instead. Just, please..." his voice cracked, " _Please_ don't leave me alone. Please...stay?"

He didn't know why he felt so desperate to have her stay. He didn't want to be alone, true, but this...he was truly and utterly terrified that she would walk into the TARDIS and disappear from his life. And he couldn't bear that. If he lost Angel...he swallowed hard, he didn't want to consider that. He couldn't lose her, not ever, he just...she had to stay, with him, because...he couldn't function properly without her, he couldn't focus, he couldn't think clearly, it was like he couldn't even breathe when she wasn't around. It was like...he wasn't him...without her...

What was the Lonely God without his Angel anyway?

Angel blinked, "Doctor..." she let out a breath and a very small smile, "I wasn't leaving."

He stared at her, his hearts restarting, "You...weren't?"

"No," she told him, "I just wanted to go to sleep."

He blinked, "But you said..."

"I'm a lot like you, you know," she murmured, reaching out to put her other hand on his around her wrist, "Second chances."

He let out a breath, nodding, "Right, yes, good," he smiled, laughing a bit, "Brilliant."

She gave him a small look, partially amused, partially confused at how he was acting, like his world had nearly fallen apart when she said she might leave him. It didn't fit with the man she'd seen all night, the man who didn't stray more than a foot away from River Song for him to cling to HER so. But...it was nice to know he didn't want her to leave.

"Good night Doctor," she gently tugged her hand away.

"Yes," he smiled widely, "Sweet dreams," he whispered, watching as she walked away, to the TARDIS, not looking away until she had entered the box. He smiled softly at that, she was staying! He laughed, beaming really, before he blinked and frowned, reaching up to his cheek with a hand. He looked down at his fingers to see water on them...he was crying, well not really crying but a tear had escaped him. What did that mean though?

But then his eyes widened, water!

He spun around, "Sorry Your Majesty!" he ran to the white goldfish, "Got a bit sidetracked there," before he ran off to get this all sorted.

He found he was rather eager to get back to the TARDIS and get off on another adventure, prove to Angel that she hadn't made a mistake in staying, proving he was a better man when she was around. And he really was. Others might not have brought that up to him, what he'd done to the Silence, put it in perspective like she did, gently, but still in a way that made him realize how truly horrifying his actions had been. A single tear from her brought his world to a halt more than crying a river did from others.

Genocide...it was NOT something to _ever_ be done with a smile and laugh, or ever at all. He didn't like that man either, thank God he had Angel there for him, that light that pulled him out of the darkness.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awww :) Did you guys like that little Doctor freak out moment there? I hope so. I really wanted to show his reaction to even the thought/suggestion Angel herself might leave :)
> 
> A few of you mentioned that the River-genocide thing made you want someone to bring that up, you read my mind! Lol, I was debating it being in the last chapter but then I couldn't quite see Angel being mentally or emotionally strong enough to get into that with the Doctor after having just seen the kiss so I put it here :) And, to add a bit more Thella-ness, next chapter we get to see the Doctor's reaction to Angel as a pirate ;)


	9. The Curse of the Black Spot: Becalmed

A group of four pirates rowed their long boat back to their ship, through still waters, in a dense fog. The ship was just sitting there, not enough wind to fill the sails and get them moving, not enough action in the waves to drift the ship along. A gentle breeze was blowing though, causing the charms hung up on the deck of the chip to clink like wind chimes. They rowed alongside it and climbed aboard, greeted by another pirate, "What's wrong?"

"Man wounded," a second pirate replied.

The first pirate looked at the wounded man who was gripping his hand, a small cut on it, and pointed to the back of the ship, "Wake him."

The second pirate nodded and left.

~8~

The pirates gathered around the captain in his cabin, the gold and jewels they had collected spilling over the chests off to the side, "He slipped in the bilge water, Cap'n," a pirate explained, "And fell onto the rigger. His hand...I don't know if he'll survive."

The captain turned around and looked at the wound on the man's hand, just a small scratch on his finger really, and turned solemn, as though the man had been run through with a sword and was barely clinging to life, "You're a dead man, McGrath," he turned over McGrath's hand to reveal a black spot on his palm, "Same as all the others," a moment later he looked up, hearing a hypnotic woman's voice singing on deck above them, "She's here."

"Oh, save our souls," the first pirate breathed.

"I've got to escape!" McGrath ran from the cabin.

"Don't go out there!" the pirate shouted, "McGrath! Don't listen for God's sake. The Siren is a-calling," he lunged forward to stop McGrath, but the captain pulled him back.

~8~

McGrath ran onto the deck, tripping on a coiled rope in his fleeing.

~8~

The captain locked his cabin doors and took a silver pendant from his neck, wrapping the leather strap around the door handles and stepped back, a mermaid relief carved onto the one side of the pendant, warding the door from the presence of the Siren.

~8~

McGrath held up his knife in one hand, shaking, ready to strike while he held his other hand to his head, trying to block out the singing.

~8~

The crew looked up, hearing his screaming as the pendant slowly swung on the lock and they knew...the Siren had gotten him. They glanced at each other for only a moment before the captain ran to the door and pulled the pendant off, the small group running out of the cabin.

~8~

The pirates rushed out on deck to see no sign of McGrath though his pistol was lying on the floor, unfired. The captain walked over and picked it up, "Same as all the others," he sighed, looking around, "No sign of a struggle. No bones or blood."

"We're shark bait," one of the crew breathed, "Every single one of us. Stuck on the ocean. _Waiting_."

"Until the wind changes," the captain agreed.

Suddenly there were two bangs from underneath a grate only a few feet away.

"What's that?" the captain held the gun at the grate while the crew ran to it.

"It's the creature, she's returned!" another pirate cried as they gathered around it, watching it thump...till it burst open to reveal the Doctor, Amy, Rory, and Angel standing there.

The Doctor smiled up at them even though there was a gun aimed at his face, "Yo-ho-ho!" he greeted as the men stared, "Or does nobody actually say that?"

~8~

The four time travellers stood in the captain's cabin, the crew behind them, the captain leaning against a chair, watching them, with a man behind him. To the captain, three of the four were dressed in very odd clothing, and the ginger woman was wearing trousers! But the one girl, the black-haired girl, seemed dressed for a life at sea. She was wearing a white tunic with billowing sleeves and a thick black cloth he was sure was meant to be a belt that nearly went under her bust with a rumbled red skirt that fell to her knees and a black skirt over it...it was a mess of fabric really.

Rory glanced over at Angel, a soft, impressed smile on his face, leave it to her to be able to find an outfit that hid the fact she was pregnant while still keeping in period. The fabric that made up the skirt was a choppy, bunchy, but still loose, a mess of red and blacks that made it almost impossible to see her pregnant belly. Amy, who had seemed the most impressed with her outfit, had even complimented her on it, had stared at her intently, complimenting every aspect of it and hadn't even seemed to notice her bump. It seemed like the fabric of the skirt was more bunchy in the back and on the sides so having thinner pieces in the front made it seem rounded out, like it was just the bunchy fabric underneath and not a belly.

He had to shake his head when he thought on the Doctor's reaction to Angel. They'd been in the console room, the Doctor tracing a distress signal, readying to set the TARDIS down, when Angel had rushed off suddenly. He had been worried for a moment, fearful she was having a bout of morning sickness still, but she'd just shouted back that she was going to find an outfit. The Doctor had actually pouted when she'd left the room and called that he needed help landing...which had shocked him and Amy as the Doctor always loved to land them in the bumpiest way. She'd just replied from down the hall that the TARDIS would help him.

The TARDIS had seemed to hum huffily at that, which hadn't exactly surprised them, they'd noticed the box was a bit more on edge with the Doctor. He and Amy were fairly certain it had to do with the kiss he'd given River. It didn't take a genius to see that the box was VERY protective and fond of Angel and, given how little the box liked River, it made sense that that was the reason. But that hadn't been what amused him or Amy, it was the expression on the Doctor's face when he realized Angel wasn't coming back to help him. He'd stared at the hall for a long while, his expression growing sadder, more like a puppy's, till he just...turned back to the console and set the coordinates... _silently_.

They'd never heard him that quiet before. But he kept glancing at the path to the halls, as though waiting for Angel to come back, an almost longing expression on his face, as though he wanted to go with her but had to stay there.

It had surprised them quite a bit when the man hadn't noticed Angel come back. Well, he actually had, before them really. Angel had returned, and stood on the top of the steps to the halls, silent, waiting, not quite sure whether to enter the console room...they hadn't noticed she was there till the Doctor looked up for another glance and his mouth dropped open, his eyes widening as his hand slipped off the lever he'd been about to pull and he'd nearly jerked forward onto the console.

They'd looked over to see her there, biting her lip, shifting a bit, as though unsure of her outfit choice. She'd asked them what they thought and Amy had just squealed and rushed up to her, complimenting her first on her shoes, which were small heeled with a tiny strap across, not high boots like he was sure a few other women (probably Amy) would have picked to wear, but Rory knew it was because she was slightly uncoordinated and higher heels didn't work well with her.

He'd smiled at Amy's reaction, knowing that her praises had really helped make Angel feel more comfortable. He knew she was partially worried about if her outfit was suitable, but even more so if her outfit hid her pregnancy. Which it appeared it did because Amy hadn't realized...though he wasn't quite sure if it was because he knew his wife and she'd likely focus on Angel's clothes and not what was under the clothes. Angel had looked at him, a questioning look in her eyes and he'd just laughed and gone to hug her, telling her she looked like the perfect pirate, which had made her laugh, adding a wink that told her she was good to go on her outfit of choice.

And then it was time for the Doctor's opinion. He couldn't begin to describe how...hopeful...he felt after seeing the Doctor's reaction to Angel, given what he knew of their past history. The Time Lord had just kept _staring_ at her till she'd shifted, uncomfortable again, asking if her outfit was alright.

The Doctor had just blinked repeatedly, stumbled forward, nearly tripping over the jump seat on his way and began to _stutter_! He and Amy had shared an excited smile at how the Doctor hadn't been able to keep his eyes off her or keep his eyes from roving over her. He'd managed to stutter out that she looked wonderful, still just staring at her, before swallowing hard and the humans knew if he wasn't attracted to Angel before (though they both doubted that very much) then he was now. He hadn't been able to stop himself glancing at her the between her moving to pilot the box down and them standing there now. He kept glancing at her and every time he and Amy spotted a blush creeping up his neck. He was pretty sure the Doctor was actively trying not to look at her now but something just kept pulling his gaze over to the Time Lady.

"We made no signal," the captain was telling them, pulling Rory's attention back (and the Doctor's gaze as well).

"Our sensors picked you up," the Doctor replied, shaking his head, trying to get control of himself, he needed to STOP staring at Angel, it wasn't appropriate at all, and it was likely making her uncomfortable and he didn't want that, he didn't want to upset her or make her feel like that at all...he didn't want to do anything that might make her want to leave, "Ship in a dress...distress!" he corrected, wincing and blushing fiercely at that slip.

He had to STOP, he really did! Angel loved period trips, she loved dressing up for them, he knew that. He was expecting her to dress up for this one, of course he was. And she looked lovely. Beautiful really. Just...breathtaking. He winced, no, bad thoughts! Bad! Angel looked fine. She looked ok. She looked pretty girl. GOOD! PRETTY GOOD!

~oOo~

 _"Ready for what?"_ _he frowned, looking at Martha, confused._

_Martha smiled and just nodded at Angel._

_He blinked and looked at her, his mouth dropping open as his eyes widened, staring at her openly for her outfit, making Angel shift a bit under his gaze, tucking a piece of hair behind her ears, something, he'd noticed, she'd done ever since 1913. Her hair usually didn't hang freely enough for her to need to move it behind her ear, but she just...did it, like a little habit, though her hair now had been let free and given just a bit of poof and volume at the top. All it really did was draw his attention to her hair, to her face, her eyes, her ears, her hands, just...her._

_And right now, all he could see was her._

_She was wearing a tight, emerald green, short-sleeved shirt that was a bit low-cut, the black trim of it drawing his eyes to a spot he admitted he stared at just a mite too long before flushing and pulling his gaze away...though it only ended up travelling down to her very, very short green shorts, down the length of her legs to her black boots that went up to her knees..._

_He swallowed hard, "You...you look pretty girl...good!" he shouted, his face now redder than Angel's hair, "Pretty good! Beautiful really. Stunning..."_

_Angel just smiled, a bit pleased with his reaction despite how uncomfortable she felt in the outfit, it really was far too tight for her liking, and took his hand, kissing his scarred knuckles, Martha smirking off to the side._

~oOo~

The Doctor winced again, recalling quite a few outfits Angel had worn on similar trips to the past, all of them just as lovely. None of them he could shake out of his mind. What was wrong with him?!

"Sensors?" the captain frowned.

"Yes!" the Doctor half-shouted, pointing at him, more thankful than he could say that the man had given him a distraction, "Ok! Problem word, 17th century. My...our ship automatically…noticed-ish…that your ship was having some bother."

"That big blue crate?"

The Doctor snapped his fingers and pointed at the captain, forcing his head to keep forward and not look back at Angel...again.

"That is more magic, Captain Avery," the man beside the captain said, "They're spirits!" he pointed at them with a hat in his hand, "How else would they have found their way below decks?"

"Well," he pointed at the man before turning to Angel, unable to stop himself this time, he didn't know what it was but it was like...in that dress...he just...couldn't stop looking at her, "I want to say multidimensional engineering," and looked back at Avery, realizing what he was doing, "But since you had a problem with sensors I won't go there. Look! I'm the Doctor, she's the Angel," he jerked a thumb across Rory to where Angel was standing, "This is Amy," he pointed at her and crossed his arm to point back towards Rory, "Rory. We're sailors!" he stepped forward to punch Avery in the arm before turning back to the trio, "Same as you!" Avery took out his gun and pointed it at him, "Arrr," he turned around to see the gun in his face and sighed, "Except for the gun thing. And the beardy-ness."

"You're stowaways," Avery stated, "Only explanation. 8 days we've been stranded here. Becalmed. You must have stowed away before we sailed."

"So what do we do with them?" one of the crew asked.

"Oh I think they deserve our hospitality."

The Doctor smiled and Angel could only shake her head.

~8~

The Doctor was pushed out onto the plank of the ship as the pirates laughed behind him, Angel, Amy, and Rory held back by some of the crew, "I suppose laughing like that is in the job description," the Doctor remarked, "Can you do the laugh?" he looked at his watch, "Check. Grab yourself a parrot," he put his arms above his head about to dive, "Welcome aboard," and shifted his weight to bounce on the plank, not really as worried or concerned about the situation as he probably had right to be. All he could really consider was it was HIM on the plank and not Angel, as long as Angel as ok, he'd be fine.

"Stocks are low," Avery replied, "Only one barrel of water remains. We don't need four more empty bellies to fill. Take the doxies below!" he turned to the crew holding Amy and Angel.

"Hey!" Rory shouted, struggling.

"To the galley, set them to work. They won't need much feeding."

"Doctor!" Angel shouted as she and Amy were pushed away by the pirates, the Doctor rushing forward only for Avery to pull his gun and aim it at him, making him stop with his hands up, getting shot and regenerating wouldn't help Angel. Or Amy.

"Rory!" Amy called, "Little help!"

"Yeah, hey!" Rory struggled, "Listen right, they're not doxies…"

"I didn't mean just tell them off," Amy was shoved, "But thanks anyway," and forced down below after Angel.

"If you're lucky you'll drown before the sharks can take a bite," Avery turned back to the Doctor who slowly backed up.

"If this is just because I'm a captain too you know, you shouldn't feel threatened, your ship is much bigger than mine," the Doctor remarked, "And I don't have the cool boots or a hat even. People keep hiding my fez and Angel refuses to find it for me."

"Time to go," he cocked his gun.

The Doctor shuffled forward, "A bit more laughter guys!" the men started laughing.

~8~

Below deck Angel reached out to steady Amy as she jumped into the water. They looked around a moment before Angel felt her gaze pulled over to a chest and made her way to it, opening it to reveal a number of swords. She and Amy looked at each other and Amy grinned. She reached forward to grab a sword and looked up at Angel who was holding out a light blue pirate-esque frock coat and a black triangular hat.

Amy grinned and took it, pulling them on, when she noticed Angel smiling at her, "What?"

Angel shook her head, "Nothing, it's just...remind me I need to take you to visit my sister Donna one day."

"Ok," Amy said slowly, recalling vague mentions of a Donna Noble, "Why?"

"We have a club, Gingers United," Angel told her, "And it's high time you were inducted."

Amy laughed as Angel did as well, Amy really did remind her quite a bit of Donna, another ginger who was willing to dress up with her on period trips. And she could just tell, Donna would LOVE Amy. The motto of Gingers United, 'Us gingers have to stick together.' And even though SHE wasn't ginger anymore, she would always be at heart, and as co-founder of the club, she would always have a place in it.

~8~

The Doctor turned around on the plank, "Where are the rest of the crew? This is a big ship, big for five yeah? I suppose the rest of them are hiding someplace and," he pinched his nose and turned, making his voice nasally, "They're all gonna jump out and shout boo?"

"Boo!" Amy shouted. The men spun around to see her wearing the hat and coat and aiming a sword at Avery, Angel behind her, though without a sword as she was not big on weapons of any sort, "Throw the gun down," the Doctor ran back down the plank to see what was happening as the captain tossed his gun to the floor. Amy kicked it back to Angel who tossed it to the other side of the ship, "The rest of you, on your knees."

"Amy, Angel, what are you doing?!" the Doctor shouted, his hearts racing to see Angel behind a woman with a sword, a woman who had NO experience at all handling one! What if she got hurt!?

"Saving your life, ok with that are you?"

"Put down the sword," Avery told her, eyeing the sword, "A sword could kill us all girl."

"Yeah, thanks, that's actually why I'm pointing it at _you_ ," Amy aimed at Avery when a man suddenly attacked. Amy jumped back, Angel stepping out of the way as Amy nobly defended herself.

"Oh!" the Doctor ran down to help but was grabbed by Avery, "Hang on!"

Amy stabbed at one of the men and he jumped back, the rest gathering around. Amy smirked, Angel was right, the men had hidden the sharp pointy objects for a reason and they all seemed terrified of even getting a _scrape_. She turned the sword on a man who recoiled, so she swished her sword around. A man lunged forward with a wooden stick but Amy knocked him back and kicked him down, when another man ran towards her, swinging a rope in his hands. She turned and ran back to another deck, grabbing a rope and swinging past him, slashing. She managed to cut the rope man's hand and land on a barrel.

"You have killed me," the man looked up from his hand.

"No way," Amy scoffed, "It's just a cut," he looked at his hand as the spot appeared, "What kind of rubbish pirates are you?"

"One drop, that's all it takes, one drop of blood and she'll rise out of the ocean," Avery glared at her.

"Come on, I barely even _scratched_ him. What are you all in such a huff about?"

Another man stormed towards her and she grabbed the rope, swinging down again but he man grabbed her causing her to drop the sword.

"No, Rory leave it!" Angel shouted from where she was being held back.

But it was too late, Rory tried to catch it and only succeeded in cutting his own hand, "Ow! Ah!" Rory and Amy were held back again as Rory looked at his hand, seeing a black spot appear in his palm, "Uh Doctor…" he held up his hand and pointed, "What's…what's happening to me?"

"She can smell the blood on your skin," Avery looked at him grimly, "She's marked you for death."

Rory tapped his ear and pointed at him, " _She_?"

"A demon. Out there in the ocean."

"Ok!" the Doctor grinned, walking over to Rory, the captain too stunned and concerned to worry about holding him back any longer, "Groovy! So not just pirates today. We've managed to baggsy a ship where there's a demon popping in," he looked at Rory's hand, "Very efficient," he looked up, "I mean, if something's gonna kill you it's nice that it drops you a note to remind you…" he patted Rory's cheek, not at all perturbed, "Oh get that look off your face," he laughed, "There may be a demon here but we've got an angel on our side don't we?" he glanced at Angel who wasn't even looking at him, which made him frown as she'd missed his compliment to her, but he followed her gaze to see she was staring out at the ocean.

And then a soft ethereal singing began. They looked around for the source but saw nothing, "Quickly now, block out the sound!" the rope man put a hand over his ears.

"What?" Rory looked at him.

"The creature," Avery backed up, "She charms all her victims with that song."

"Oh great, so put my fingers in my ears? That's your plan?" he tapped the Doctor, who was looking for the source of the song, "Doctor come on let's go…" the Doctor looked at him as Rory started to slur, "Back to the uh…" he staggered, swaying, "Oh…back to the uh…" and started to laugh.

"That's the music," the rope man grinned.

"It's working on them, look," a pirate breathed.

"You!" Rory turned to Amy, leaning against a rope to look at her, "Are _so_ beautiful!" he fell against it, hanging on it as she leaned back.

"What?" Amy frowned.

"Oh, no I love your get up!" Angel and the Doctor exchanged a concerned and confused look as they watched him, "No, it's great," he stepped back, "You should dress as a pirate more often. Huh? Hey, hey! Cuddle me shipmate," he moved to hug her.

"Rory stop," Amy pushed him back.

"Everything!" he put his hands on her shoulders, "Is totally _brilliant_ , isn't it!? Huh? Look at these brilliant pirates. Look at their brilliant beards!" he pointed to the pirate next to them holding Amy's arm, before stepping back in thought, "I'd like a beard," he stumbled back to the rope man's side, "I'm gonna grow a beard."

"You're not."

Rory hummed, "What do you think sis?" he turned to Angel, "Beard?"

Angel just eyed him, a terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach, "Rory...are you alright?"

"I am brilliant!" he laughed.

"Music turns them into fools," Avery remarked to the Doctor as they watched Rory and the pirate laugh hysterically at something.

"Oh my God," Angel gasped, catching sight of something over the Doctor's shoulder. He looked around to see a greenish light appear in the water with a light drifting up from it. The Doctor frowned, staring at it curiously while Rory and the pirate's mouths dropped open in awe.

A figure flew out of the light, a woman with dark hair in a white dress, barefoot. The pirate held out his hand towards her as Amy pulled Rory back. The figure landed and walked towards them, the Doctor watching, fascinated, as the pirate stepped past him, holding out his hand to the woman, grinning like a fool.

Angel winced, closing her eyes...

... _the pirate reached out, touching the glowing woman...and burst into ashes_...

'... _it's dangerous here. There is a monster aboard. She leaves a mark on men's skin_...'

... _a little boy held out his hand to the Siren, rain falling around him, on the deck of the ship, touching her_...

She gasped and looked over to see Rory holding out his hand as well before she quickly ran to Amy's side, helping her hold him back.

As soon as the pirate touched the glowing woman...he burst into ashes. The crew jerked back, scared, as did Amy and the Doctor though more from shock. Rory managed to take advantage of that and pull his way past the Doctor, Angel still holding onto him, having expected/seen that event.

"I have to touch her," Rory mumbled, "Let me touch her."

Angel managed to hold him back as Amy shoved past them to glare at the woman, "Sorry, but he is spoken for."

The woman turned red and screeched at her, sending Amy flying backwards by some invisible force. The Doctor ran to her side while Angel struggled to pull Rory back.

"Amy!" the Doctor shouted, helping her up, "Amy!" the woman turned light green again, calm, "Everybody into the hold!" the pirates ran in as the Doctor helped Amy over, Angel pulling Rory back with her on the way.

"Hey!" Rory struggled, "Hey!"

They ran into the hold, the water at the bottom splashing as they dropped down, boxes scattered around them. Angel looked at Amy who nodded, getting a firmer grip on Rory as Angel stepped away, taking her husband from the Time Lady. The Doctor looked around at the small room.

"What is that thing?" Amy asked as Rory still looked up towards the deck.

"The legend," Avery sighed, "The Siren. Many a merchant ship laden with treasure has fallen prey to her. She's been hunting us ever since we were becalmed. Picking off the injured."

"Like a shark," one of the men said, "A shark can smell blood."

"Ok," the Doctor nodded, "Just like a shark. In a dress. And singing. And green. A green, singing shark in an evening gown."

"The ship is cursed!" Avery shouted.

"Yeah, right, cursed," he turned around, "It's big with humans, means bad things are happening but you can't be bothered to find an explanation. But lucky for you, even if it were cursed, we've got a good luck charm," he turned to wink at Angel...only to pout again, seeing that her attention was on the water around them, frowning at it. He was starting to wonder what was wrong with him that she found bilge water more interesting.

And then he blinked, why did he care _so much_ that Angel wasn't noticing his compliments?

Rory looked at Amy, hung around her as she tried to hold him back. He took her face in his hands, "She's the most _beautiful_ thing I've ever seen," the Doctor patted him on the back, distractedly, trying to examine the bilge water too, knowing that for Angel to be THAT focused on it, there must be something more to it, even if her confused expression let him know she wasn't sure what that something more was.

"Actually, I think you'll find she isn't," Amy told him, hugging him so she could talk to the Doctor over his shoulder, "We have to leave, right now."

"That crate of yours really is a ship…" Avery began.

"Well it's not propelled by the wind," the Doctor remarked.

"Show me!" he pulled out the gun he'd managed to grab on the way in and pointed it at the Doctor once more, "Weigh anchor. Make it sail."

The Doctor turned around to see the gun in his face, and rolled his eyes, Angel wasn't reacting the way she normally did when someone held a weapon to him, which either meant she didn't care (which would never be Angel ever) or she knew there was no danger, that the man wouldn't really use it, so it was the second option, "And the gun's back. You're big on the gun thing aren't you? Freud would say you're compensating. Ever met Freud? No? Comfy sofa."

"Leave the cursed one, captain," one of the pirates said. The captain and the rest of the group turned to face him, save Angel who was now staring at a spot over the Doctor's shoulder, stepping onto a crate to get a better look, "The creature can have him."

"Yes, please," Rory nodded.

"We don't want the Siren coming after us," Avery agreed.

Suddenly the man who'd made the suggestion started yelling. Everyone backed way as he held out his leg to reveal a small black thing on it, "It's a leech!" Amy shouted.

"Everyone out of the water!" the Doctor shouted and they all scrambled onto the crates.

"Ah, ah!" Rory looked around wildly as Amy pulled him up.

"It's bitten me!" the man pulled the leech off, "I'm bleeding," he threw it in the water...only to see a spot on his hand. He held it up for them to see.

"She wants blood," the Doctor murmured, "Why does she want blood?"

"What were you saying about leaving the cursed ones behind?" Amy glared at the man.

"It's ok, we're safe down here. No curse is getting through three solid inches of timber."

"Doctor…" Angel began, her eyes widening as a sudden screech echoed and the woman appeared out of the water behind the Doctor, right where Angel was staring.

He spun around, "Oh! Uh, hello again…" Rory started to reach for her when the Doctor tried to hold back the leeched man as he made his way towards the woman.

The man reached out and touched her...disintegrating, the Doctor only managing to succeed in grabbing the man's hat.

The Doctor turned and quickly pushed them all back out of the room, shoving Rory along with them, making sure Angel was ahead of him, before slamming the door shut and locking it.

"Safe?" Amy looked at the Doctor as she and Angel tried to hold Rory back.

The Doctor turned with the leeched man's hat on his head, "I have my good days and my bad days," he pulled off the hat.

"How did she get in?" Avery demanded.

The Doctor soniced the hat, "Bilge water," he read, "She's using water like a portal. A door. She can materialize through a single drop. We need to go somewhere with no water."

"Well, thank God we're not in the middle of the ocean," Amy rolled her eyes.

"Did you see her eyes?" Rory asked Amy as the Doctor put the hat on again, "Like crystal pools…"

" _You_ are in enough trouble."

"The magazine," Avery decided.

"What?"

"He means the armory where the powder's stored," the Doctor explained.

"It's dry as a bone," Avery nodded.

"Good let's go there," the Doctor stepped forward...only to have Avery's gun in his face again.

" _I_ give the orders."

"Ah…worried 'cos I'm wearing a hat now…" he walked past Amy, who was pulling Rory along with Angel, and took the hat off, "Nobody touch anything sharp!"

"Come on Rory," Angel helped shove Rory along after the crew, only to stop when the Doctor did and turned to her, eyeing her, "What?"

He just stared at her a moment, before pulling the hat off and gently reaching out with two hands to place it on her head. He smiled, "Perfect," he told her quietly, "It...um...it suits you more than me," he remarked.

"Why?" she frowned, "Pirate hats aren't cool?"

He let out a soft chuckle at that, "Not on _me_."

Angel blinked, watching as he turned around to join the crew standing outside of a door and realized...he'd meant that pirate hats were cool on her. She shook her head fondly at that.

"Quickly man!" Avery ordered as the crewmate searched for the keys.

"I can't...the key...it's gone captain," he replied.

"How can it have _gone_?"

Angel eyed the door a moment before she walked forward and pushed it open easily, "Someone else came here first."

The Doctor walked in cautiously, wanting to make sure it was safe, followed by Avery, the crew, and Amy, Angel, and Rory, all of them looking around carefully, "Barricade the door," Avery ordered a man, "Be careful with that lantern," he called to another who handed it to him, "Every barrel is full of powder."

"Who's been sleeping in my gun room?" the Doctor wondered out loud.

Avery stiffened, hearing a faint coughing, and followed it, he strode over to a barrel, putting the lantern down beside it and lifted the lid, hauling a young boy out of it, "You fool!" he held the boy against the wall, "You fool boy! What are you _doing_ here?"

"Who is he?" one of the pirates asked.

"What, he's not one of the crew?" the Doctor looked over.

"No, he's my son," Avery glared at the boy.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol, did you like the little reaction the Doctor had to Pirate-Angel ;) This wasn't one of my favorite episodes, I can say that, but I liked it well enough. And...I can say there's a little moment at the end of it that involves the Doctor and a bit of Thella ;) We'll also get a bit of Toby/Angel bonding. And Amy/Angel bonding in the next chapter :)


	10. The Curse of the Black Spot: Stranded

Avery and his son were sitting down in the magazine, the boy coughing as the rest of the group watched, "What in God's name possessed you, boy?" Avery demanded, "You're mother will be searching for you…" the boy looked down solemnly and he sighed, realizing what must have happened to the woman, the only thing that would explain the boy being there, "When?"

"Last winter," he whispered, tears in his eyes he refused to let fall in front of his father, "Fever. She told me all about you. How you were a captain in the navy. An honorable man she said, how I'd be proud to know you," he coughed, "I've come to join your crew."

"I don't want you here."

"You can't send me back," the Doctor smiled at that, the boy was sharp, "It's too late. We're a hundred miles from home."

"It's dangerous here. There is a monster aboard. She leaves a mark on men's skin…"

"The black spot?" the boy looked at them, the Doctor and Avery turning to him sharply as Angel looked on sadly, the boy lifting his hand to reveal the spot. Avery grabbed it as the Doctor stepped forward to examine it, both alarmed that a child would be hunted by the Siren and that he was ill enough for the Siren to come after him.

~8~

Everyone was sitting around, Avery leaning by the Doctor and Amy as they sat against the back wall. Amy was watching as Rory sat on a crate beside Angel, seemingly released from whatever the Siren had done, with Angel holding his hand, trying to get a sense of the spot and what it could mean. The Doctor though was, despite Avery speaking to them, was staring intently at Angel, his jaw tensing as his eyes locked on Rory holding her hand. He knew what she was doing, she was just trying to see if she could sense anything off it, but...his mind just couldn't get past the fact that she had to hold Rory's hand to do it.

He crossed his arms as he stared at them, feeling his eyes narrowing ever so slightly with each passing second, especially when Angel started whispering to Rory and smiling at him and squeezed his hand before...letting go! Finally! He didn't know what it was but...he hated other men around her now, hated it. Well, he'd always disliked it, always felt like pulling her away from them, like with Vincent, and it had always been growing more powerful a sensation over time but now...now it was almost unbearable! There they were, surrounded by pirates, the least honorable men ever, and Angel was sitting there in a lovely dress that made her fit in and still revealed her legs and he'd caught one or two of the men eyeing her, and it set his blood on fire in a rather bad way.

He'd hurt Angel terribly with what he'd agreed with River to do with the Silence, the genocide, he was fairly certain she wouldn't be fond of attempted homicide either. He took a breath, trying to calm himself, what was this? Why did he feel so...alarmed and angry when other men were around her?! It had started after they'd dealt with the fish who WAS-Her Majesty...when Angel had nearly threatened to leave. Well, not threaten, more like warn, Angel wasn't one to threaten anyone. Maybe that was it?

His reaction had been so instant, so powerful that it had really shocked him how quickly he'd tried to keep her from walking away from him, believing she was going to leave. After that...well, it had scared him quite deeply he supposed. So much so that he just...he tried everything he could think of to get her to stay, not that she was really leaving at the moment. He'd let her pick the last few adventures, he'd kept River away from her for the most part when they'd helped her Majesty, he'd made fish fingers and custard for her to snack on and brownies too! He just tried to do little things to let her know that he cared for her, a lot, more than a lot really. He'd actually surprised himself as he went about that little mission of his, with how much he'd actually noticed of Angel, her likes and dislikes. Though...half of them were things he wasn't quite sure he knew but he just...did.

But what he found he did quite a lot of was...keeping men away from her. Everyone but Rory he was wary of. Even Toby, who was leaning against Angel for comfort, he had an issue with! Why he was so...disturbed and irritated by men around Angel he didn't know. He just...he didn't want them to take her away from him too. It was like all he saw were things everywhere, situations or people or things that could pull her away. And he just...he didn't want her to go.

It...hurt...to think of her leaving him.

"Doctor!" Amy nudged him, hard, shaking him from his thoughts to see that Avery had been talking to him the entire time.

"Sorry, what?" he looked at the captain, bashful.

Amy though was smiling a bit, knowing what he'd been staring so intently at.

"There's nothing wrong with the boy," Avery repeated, "He has no scars."

"Yup, ignore my last theory," the Doctor sighed. He didn't like this, this not knowing what the Siren was, or how she worked. What if she got Angel too!? Or Amy, or Rory...

Amy patted him on the stomach, "He has his good days and his bad days."

"It's not just blood. She's coming for all the sick," he looked at the boy who was sitting on the other side of Angel, leaning on her, he'd seemed to gravitate towards her warmth and kindness, which it appeared was something he desperately needed.

He did have to smile a bit when Angel put an arm around him, rubbing his arm, she was so kind and compassionate. Such...a mother, really she was, she was fantastic with children, just so natural. He was sure he got children to like him because he was like them, energetic, a bit odd, funny as Amelia had called him, but Angel was just...genuinely kind and concerned for them, she took care of them and protected them. The Guardian Angel of the Universe she was...

He shook his head, seeing that Avery was still staring at him, waiting for him to make his point, "The wounded. Like a hunter chooses the weakest animal…"

"Ok, look, he's got a fever," Amy shook her head, "The Siren knows it."

"Humans…second rate. Damage too easily. It's only a matter of time before everyone gets bruised…" he glanced at Angel again, not Angel, not her, she was the strongest woman he knew, "My ship it can get us all away from here. You and me we'll fetch it," he stood up, "Let's go…"

Avery pulled his gun again, "You're not the captain here. remember?" he glared.

"Don't!" Angel shouted and they looked over to see Toby pulling a lid off a barrel of water and a green hand shoot up out of it. The Doctor ran forward and struggled to get the lid back on, Angel moving too slow to get up.

"The water's dangerous!" Avery rounded on his son, "That's how she gets through. One touch of her hand and you're a dead man."

Angel just walked over and put a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder as he looked down at his father's shouts.

"We're all cursed if we stay aboard," one of the crew remarked.

"It's not a curse!" the Doctor shouted, "Cursed means game over. Cursed means we're helpless. We are NOT helpless. Captain, what's our next move?" the captain looked up, a bit shocked.

~8~

Avery put his medallion around his son's neck for protection, which made Angel smile to see, she could see how much that boy loved his father, before turning to the crew, "Wait with the boy."

"Captain, we're all in danger here," one of the two remaining crew members said as the other worked on unblocking the door.

"I _said_ wait and barricade the door after we've gone."

"You sure you wanna go?" Amy asked the Doctor as she, Rory, and Angel stood before him.

"We have to get Rory and Toby away," the Doctor replied, "She's out there now, licking her lips, boiling the sauce bin, grating the cheese…"

"Ok…" Amy gave him a look for that analogy, "Well, remember if you get an itch don't scratch too hard."

"We've all gotta go sometime," he shrugged as Amy and Rory exchanged an uneasy look, trying not to give anything away by looking at Angel either, though the girl did notice them stiffen at the Doctor's words. The Doctor stepped up to Rory, "There are worse ways than having your face snogged off by a dodgy mermaid," Rory laughed as the Doctor patted him on the shoulder and turned to Angel, "Will you be alright keeping an eye on them?"

He had wanted to ask her to go with him and Avery, but...he'd rather her safe in the tiny room where the only danger was opening that one water barrel as opposed to wandering the ship and getting hurt. He didn't like it, he could already feel his chest tightening at the thought of leaving her alone (especially with two pirates) but he _had_ to. The sooner he got the TARDIS there, the sooner they'd all be safe.

"I still say I should go with Avery," Angel remarked, unable to ignore the pit in her stomach that told her she'd be needed, "I could sense the Siren and you might need me in the TARDIS."

"Despite everyone's assumptions, I _do_ actually _know_ how to pilot the TARDIS," the Doctor rolled his eyes playfully, "We'll be fine."

Angel sighed, "If you say so."

The Doctor reached out as she looked down and away, taking her hand in one of his and lifting her chin to look at him, "I _will_ be fine Angel, I promise," he crossed his hearts, "Even if you don't see it yet, believe it. B-believe in _me_ ," he whispered, feeling like this was important, that it was crucial that she believed in him, that she had faith in him, "Please."

Angel looked at him, not quite sure why he was asking her to do that...and not quite sure why she was having such a hard time speaking the words that yes, of course she believed in him. She bit her lip and nodded, making him grin widely at that.

He nodded, pointing at them before turning and stepping out of the room with Avery, "Want to draw lots for who's in charge then?" Avery asked as he put his gun away.

The Doctor looked around, "Darkness, demon…you can have first go," he patted the man on the stomach.

Avery laughed and they crept forward only to nearly trip and cut himself on the partially raised nail on a board beside them. The Doctor reached out and grabbed him and his arm, stopping him, "Nearly…" he breathed with a nervous laugh as the Doctor patted him on the shoulder and they walked on.

~8~

The Doctor and Avery ran into the TARDIS, the Doctor heading straight to the console as Avery looked around, "By all the…"

"Let me stop you there," the Doctor spun to face him, needing to stop the man without Angel there to help explain while he set the controls, "Bigger on the inside. Don't mind, do you, if we just skip to the end of that moment? Oh, and sorry I lied by the way," Avery turned in a circle, "When I said yours was bigger. Kitchen that way," he pointed right, "Choice of bathrooms…" he turned behind him and pointed right, left, and back, "There, there, and there."

~8~

Toby sat by the back wall of the magazine, beside Angel, leaning on her as he coughed, Angel offering him a sad smile, she still wasn't very good at healing diseases yet and it pained her every time a cough struck him to see him suffering so silently with his illness, "I'm sorry," she whispered to him, "About your mum, I...I lost my mum too."

Toby looked up at her, "You did?"

She nodded, "When I was about your age, give or take a few decades," she nudged him playfully, getting him to smile a bit, "You're lucky though, you've still got your father and I can tell he loves you very much."

Toby sighed, looking down, "No, he doesn't."

"Oh," she squeezed him by the arm around him, "I think he does."

Toby shook his head, "He keeps trying to send me away."

"To protect you," Angel told him.

"From what?"

"The Siren, for one," she laughed, before sighing, growing more serious, being careful with her words, "Everyone, Toby, everyone has a secret, something they hide from everyone else. A weakness, a curse, a burden...something they're ashamed of, something they never ever want anyone else to know," she knew Avery hadn't said anything about being a pirate because he was embarrassed, his son looked up to him so much, to find that out would crush the boy, and he was ashamed of it, that he'd turned pirate, that he wasn't the honorable man his son had come to know any longer, and he was trying to protect Toby, "The important thing Toby, is that when you learn a secret like that about someone else...if they are truly embarrassed by it, ashamed of it, guilty for it...if they can still feel guilt and true sadness for what they've done...then they deserve our forgiveness," she smiled sadly, "Because people like that, who have that terrible secret, to still be capable of feeling sorrow and guilt, it means they're still a good person inside, that they can care for others, and that they want to do better."

It was one of the very many reasons why she loved the Doctor even still. By rights, his secret about what he'd done on Gallifrey, about the Time Lock, it should have scared her away. It should have made her hate him. But she had seen it, such unbearable guilt and sadness, such devastation in his eyes, such determination to make up for it...that she knew it hadn't been an easy decision to make. That he had to be a strong man to do what he had and to keep living afterwards, to try and make amends and try to help others all he could. He was still a good man, despite what he'd had to do.

His actions had saved every single life in the Universe.

"People like that," Angel continued, her gaze growing distant, not even seeing Amy and Rory look at her knowingly, understanding she was thinking of the Doctor as well as she spoke, "Are the ones who need love and forgiveness the most."

Toby eyed her for a long while, "What's your secret?" he had to ask.

"What makes you think I have one?" she blinked and looked at him.

"You said people with a secret like that are sad," he said simply, "Your eyes are sad."

Angel had to smile at that, he was a very perceptive little boy wasn't he? She nodded, "My secret," she sighed, leaning back against the wall, "My secret is...how weak I really am."

Toby frowned, "What do you mean?"

She couldn't look at him, she couldn't look at anyone really, she knew, no matter how quiet she was, everyone in the little room would hear her. Amy and Rory had, and had stopped, and she knew they were staring at her, probably alarmed and confused to hear her talk like that, but it couldn't be helped. An innocent boy had asked an innocent question, he deserved an answer.

"I used to think I was strong," she back tracked, "Stronger, getting stronger. That I was becoming a strong person but..." she shook her head, sighing again, "It turns out, I wasn't that strong at all."

"Angel..." Rory began, stepping towards her, completely stunned she would EVER think herself weak! Look at what she had done, what she had endured! She had survived her Mate forgetting her, gotten through nearly her entire pregnancy by herself, saved the world and the Universe multiple times over, saved him and Amy, put up with River, had vision, had the Vortex, had all this power and yet still remained one of the kindest, most genuine, caring people in the Universe!

Toby, though, beat him to it, taking Angel's hand, "I think you're wrong," the little boy told her.

Angel looked at him, a tear in her eye, "Why's that?"

Toby squeezed her hand, "I think you're very strong," he told her, "And the Doctor thinks so too."

Angel frowned, not sure how he had come to that conclusion, "How do you know that?"

Toby gave her a small smile, "He wanted you to stay here," he shrugged, "With me and him," he nodded at Rory, "Both with the black spot, and those two," he nodded at the pirates, "And a woman," Amy rolled her eyes behind his back at that, "He must think you're awfully strong to be able to protect all of us!"

Angel blinked and started to smile, shaking her head fondly at him, "You are truly a brilliant boy Toby," she told him as he beamed at that, "And you know, your mum would be SO proud of you."

Toby's beam softened as he nodded, turning to snuggle a bit against her again as Angel lightly ran a hand through his hair, the frown returning to her face when she felt how warm the boy was. His illness was getting worse. She closed her eyes as she rested her head on top of Toby's a moment, listening to the silence of the magazine, hearing a soft thudding as Amy started to pace.

Rory sighed at Amy's actions, turning away from watching Angel, having hoped she'd open her eyes so he could speak to her about that, before he walked over to her, wanting to make sure she was ok as Angel seemed to be alright for the moment, "What's wrong?"

"The most beautiful thing you've ever seen?" she asked.

"Tell me I didn't really say that…"

Amy laughed but stopped when she saw the men unblocking the doors, having been distracted by Angel before, "What's going on?"

"We're not staying here to mollycoddle the boy," one of the men said, "The captain's gone soft, it's time for us to leave."

~8~

The Doctor typed into a keypad quickly, really wanting to get the TARDIS back to the others, as Avery looked around at the various instruments on the console, "What's this do?"

The Doctor popped up and looked over, "That does very, _very_ complicated…" he dinged a bell, "That does sophisticated," he gestured to something, "That does whoa, amazing. And that…" he gestured at the rotor, "Does wiz bang far too technical to explain."

Avery pointed to a small ball with spikes on it, "Wheel?"

"Atom accelerator."

"It steers the thing?"

"No! Sort of. Yes."

"Wheel. Telescope. Astrolabe. Compass," the Doctor looked at him slightly impressed as the man listed off the instruments, "A ship's a ship."

~8~

Toby stood up and walked over to the men, "He told you to wait, you dog," the men looked at him, "He's your captain. A naval officer. You're honor bound to do as he tells you."

"Honor bound?" one of the men scoffed as Angel pushed herself up and walked over, "Do you know what kind of ship this is?" Angel put an arm around the boy, "Do you know what your father does?"

"Don't listen to him Toby," Amy whispered, all of them aware of what the pirates were about to tell him.

"We sail under the black flag, the Jolly Rodger."

He lunged at the man, "Liar!" but Amy and Angel held him back, "He's no wicked pirate!"

"Oh, you think so? Well I've seen your father gun down 1,000 innocent men," he gave the boy a look as he looked down, stunned.

~8~

"This is how the professionals do it!" the Doctor started to pull levers and the TARDIS echoed a grinding noise before settling down, "Oh, it's stuck…not responding."

"Becalmed?" Avery asked, amused.

"Yeah, apparently. That's new…" he looked up at Avery as he nodded, gloatingly, "You _had_ to gloat didn't you?"

"I'm not gloating."

"I saw that look just now. Ha ha, his ship is rubbish."

"True," he smirked.

The Doctor tried to come up with a retort but could only turn and head around the console, starting to think he really should have let Angel come.

~8~

"Get what treasure you can and we leave in the rowboat," the man ordered the one at the door.

Toby grabbed a cutlass and stepped forward, "You're going to remain at your posts."

The man turned around, "I am _not_ playing games with you boy, you put that _down_."

"One more step and I'll use this you blaggard."

"You don't know how to fight with a cutlass boy."

He glanced at the man's hand, "Don't need to, do I?" and lunged forward, swiping the man's hand, cutting the side of it.

~8~

"…can't get a lock on the plane," the Doctor mumbled as he rushed around the console to the monitor.

"The what?"

"Space we travel in," he ran around, "The…ocean!" he looked at Avery, "Sort of ocean, but not water. The TARDIS can't see, it's sulking because it thinks the space doesn't exist. Without a plane to lock on to we're not going anywhere."

"I'm confused…"

"Yeah, well it's a big club, we should get t-shirts," the TARDIS jolted and the grinding noise started up again. The Doctor looked around, confused, "What's happening?"

Ok...Angel should have _definitely_ come.

~8~

"You little swabber!" the man glared as he looked at the black spot on his hand.

"Congratulations, made it to the menu," Amy said, a small smirk on her face, "Probably shouldn't go out there now."

"You scurvy ape!" he grabbed his gun, aiming it at Toby only for Angel to move in front of him, pushing him behind her as he lowered the sword.

Rory leapt forward to grab the man's gun, "Don't shoot! The powder will blow and kill us all."

"Mulligan!" the man gaped as the second man swiped the keys off his bet, "What are you doing?"

But Mulligan just left and shut the door behind him.

"I suppose the pirate code is more a guideline?" Angel remarked, knowing the men had no sense of honor.

The man nodded and lowered his gun, going to the door to rebarricade it, as Angel turned to Toby, "Are you alright Toby?"

Toby swallowed, staring at the pirate a moment before looking at her, "Dad's a pirate, isn't he?" he asked her quietly, she nodded, "That's what you meant about secrets."

"I'm sorry," she had to nod again.

Toby just walked over to the back wall and sat down against it again, curling his legs up and wrapping his arms around them as he coughed into his knees. Angel sighed sadly and went to go sit beside him, knowing he just needed quiet but also someone to be there for him.

~8~

"Well it's had a little sulk," the Doctor shouted as the grinding noise got worse and the TARDIS shook, "Now we're heading for the full on, screaming tantrum!"

"Can you fix it?"

"Ah…" he moved to shoo Avery away from some controls to check, "The parametric engines are jammed. Orthogonal vector's gone, see!" he cheered, "I told you I knew how to pi..." he looked over to the other side of the console with a grin that quickly faded, recalling Angel wasn't there with them, "Right," he sighed, wincing as he closed his eyes, shaking his head, "I'm almost out of ideas," he knelt down to look under a panel.

"Almost?"

He popped up, "Well we could try stroking the rotor and singing a song."

"Would that help?"

"It only seems to work for Angel!" he shouted, before shaking his head, realizing something, "Oh she _knew_ she should have come!" the TARDIS jolted, throwing them back, "I've lost control of it. We're about to dematerialize. We could end up anywhere."

"That sounds bad."

"Yes it is! Out now!" the console sparked, "Abandon ship! Abandon ship!" they ran out and into the storage room to see the TARDIS glowing green and disappear, "Ok, ok, uh, uh, ok. TARDIS runs off on its own…that's a bit of a new one," his eyes widened, "Bang goes our only hope of getting them out of here."

"Not much of a captain without a ship are you?"

~8~

Avery was leading the Doctor back towards his cabin...when Mulligan popped up, treasure in a pack strapped around him, and two guns aimed at them. They stopped short, hands up, "Mulligan!" Avery shouted, "What are you doing?" Mulligan just inched forward, forcing them back, "This is mutiny!"

"She doesn't want me," he made his way past them, "She only wants Toby," till he was behind them, "And the scrawny looking fella," and with that, he turned and ran.

"He's got the last of the supplies," the Doctor remarked, "We should go after him."

"Never mind the damn supplies what about my treasure!" Avery cried, running after the man with the Doctor. They ran around a corner as Mulligan fired at them twice, forcing them to duck down as he ran off.

The Doctor shook his head, nope, no, VERY glad Angel wasn't there now, "Don't get injured! Don't get injured!"

They chased Mulligan back to the hold where the man locked the doors behind him. Mulligan turned and used a flint, lighting a small fire in a handheld paddle only to drop it when the flame burned his hand.

"Come out of there you mutinous dog!" Avery pounded on the door.

Mulligan winced, shaking his hand, "Ow!" he dropped the paddle and the lights went out.

The Doctor flashed the sonic on the lock, when they heard the Siren singing. He backed up, both him and Avery checking each other for injuries when they saw the light under the crack of the bottom of the door, "She's inside!" the Doctor realized.

"She's come for Mulligan," Avery agreed. There was a scream from within which made the Doctor jump up and sonic the lock, running inside and looking around as Avery picked up a fallen piece of treasure, a crown, "No water in here. How did she take him?" the Doctor looked down and around, "You said she uses water like a door. That's how she enters a room."

And then the Doctor spotted the crown in Avery's hand. He stepped forward and looked at it closely, "I was wrong," he looked at Avery, "Please ignore all my theories up to this point."

"What, again?"

He snatched the crown and looked at it, "We're in danger. The water's not how she's getting in," he looked back at Avery again, "When we were down in the hull, think what happened. You me, Amy, Rory, Angel. Leeches."

"She sprang from the water."

"That's only when it grew still. Still water. Nature's mirror."

"So…you mean…"

"It's not water…" he pointed at the crown, at their faces in it, "Reflection."

~8~

Toby sighed as he sat against the wall in between Amy and Angel before looking at the medallion around his neck.

~8~

"The Siren legend, the curse!" the Doctor realized.

"You said curses weren't real."

"Folk lore springs from truth. She attacks ships filled with treasure. Where else would she get a perfect reflection?"

"Polished metal!"

"Hmm?" he looked up as Avery checked his chest for his medallion, both of them realizing the danger the others were in.

"We must warn them!" they ran out of the room.

"Angel!" the Doctor cried, panicked.

~8~

Toby sat, polishing the medallion, rubbing the back of it and looking at his reflection.

~8~

"Angel!" the Doctor shouted as they reached the door, "Open the door!"

"Toby open the door!" Avery shouted, "Toby!"

"Open the door!" the Doctor banged on it as he heard the barrels moving within, nearly ready to break it down, needing to see if Angel (and Amy and Rory) were alright, his hearts racing, the desperate need filling him to make sure she was safe.

"Toby!"

The door opened and the Doctor ran in, right to Toby...

Only to see Angel was sitting there beside the boy, wrapping the medallion with a torn piece of her skirt.

He stopped short and looked at her with his mouth open, "Psychic," he muttered, trying to calm his hearts.

"Thief," she remarked, tossing him the medallion now wrapped in a black cloth.

The Doctor smiled at it before realizing something and running out of the room, leaving three very confused humans and one very amused Time Lady. Avery dashed after him, following him into the captain's cabin where he started to smash out the windows with the butt of a gun, "We've got to destroy every reflection. Gold, silver, glass, she could spring from any of them," he turned and broke the mirror on the wall and looked to see Avery staring at it, "Yes, yes, I now, I know, very bad luck to break it but look at it this way," he put the gun against the wall, "There's a stroppy, homicidal mermaid trying to kill all."

Avery considered his words and nodded, "How much worse can things get?" he shrugged.

"Yup," he nodded, before running over to the box of treasure, "Help me lug this lot out."

"Where are we taking it?" he moved to help.

"The ocean."

"No!" Avery lunged forward, "No! This is the treasure of the Mogul of India!"

"Oh, good, for a moment there I thought it was yours," he moved to shove it again.

"Doctor!" Avery stopped him, "Wait. _Must_ we do this?"

The Doctor stood, " _Any_ reflection, any mirror, and the Siren _will_ attack," Avery looked away, "We have to protect Rory and Toby," Avery nodded, "Go get the crown from the store room," Avery turned and left as the Doctor started throwing the treasure out the broken windows and into the sea.

~8~

With a sigh, Avery took the crown off the store room floor and left.

~8~

"Just... _wait_?" Rory frowned as the Doctor stood before the four of them with Avery in the magazine a few minutes later.

The Doctor spun to face them, "Not my most dynamic plan I realize…"

"TARDIS?" Amy suggested.

"It's gone," Angel replied, shaking her head at him, "And let me tell you Doctor, I don't think she'll be at all happy about it."

"Sorry," the Doctor winced, "We might be stuck here for a while."

"So you're saying we should all just wait here below?" Rory shook his head.

"The sea is still calm, like a mirror," Avery said as the Doctor nodded, "If you go out on deck, she's rise up and attack you."

"It's ok," the Doctor added, "The calm won't last forever, when the wind picks up we'll all set sail."

"Until it does we have to hide down here."

~8~

Rory was stretched on his back, asleep in the magazine, while Amy laid on her side beside him, facing the back wall where Angel was sitting, her legs curled up, her arms around them loosely, the angle hiding her stomach from Amy, "So…" Amy began, eyeing the woman, "Exactly what _were_ you to the Doctor before he forgot?"

She'd had quite a few suspicions, but she hadn't wanted to ask, more like Rory refused to let her ask. Apparently Rory knew quite a bit about what had happened, what was going on, which she knew she ought to feel angry at, that he'd kept it from her, but she knew that there were some things that, if the Doctor asked her, she'd keep from Rory too. She'd tried to get more information out of him as he refused to let her speak to Angel about it, fearing it was too soon after the River/Doctor kiss thing and that talking about it would upset Angel, but Rory wouldn't say. All he told her was that it wasn't his story to tell and that he probably didn't even know the half of it. She did know that Angel had to have been _very_ close to the Doctor if her familiarity with him and the devastating look that had been on her face after dealing with the Silence was anything to go by.

Angel sighed, "I'm his Mate."

"But I thought you _are_ friends? He said you were."

"Not _that_ sort of mate," Angel looked at her pointedly. Amy's eyes widened at that, guessing what sort of other 'mate' they could be, "There's a process on Gallifrey in which three things must be done to be 'Mated' to someone. You have to create a mental bond, establish an emotional connection, and…a physical union."

Amy blushed, catching onto that last part easily, "And you both…you know…"

Angel nodded, "Before he regenerated though. I don't know what happened," she shook her head, "I can still hear the Doctor in my mind and feel him in my hearts, I still remember everything but he...it's like all the moments between us, no matter how big or small, anything that wasn't platonic is just...missing," she rubbed her head, "And I really...I don't know how much more I can take of that..."

"Angel," Amy reached out to take her hand, "We'll find a way to get his memories back," she promised, "You can't leave."

"I didn't say anything about leaving," Angel murmured, though she looked away.

"I know," Amy sighed, "The Doctor told me about it, something about that fish he thought was the Queen."

"He did?"

Amy nodded, "Angel, don't go. Not only would the Doctor be a mess without you, but..." she hesitated to say it, "Wouldn't that be like letting River win?" she didn't know why but...the more she looked at River, at all the adventures she'd had with the woman, she kept getting the sense, more and more, that River was playing some sort of game with them all, with the Doctor and Angel especially, and not a good one.

Angel was silent a moment, "There might be more than just that that makes me leave Amy," she told her, "Did Rory ever tell you what he felt when he realized you didn't remember him?"

Amy looked away, "It was the worst experience of his life," she murmured, still feeling horrible that he'd felt that way because of her, because of something she did.

"He only had to deal with you looking through him for an hour at most Amy," Angel reminded her, "Me...it's been almost 3 years," she let out a breath, "I've had to put up with nearly 3 years of him looking at me but not seeing me," she glanced at Amy, "Mickey, my old companion, he loved movies, we watched them together, I even took him into the future to see some movies that hadn't been made yet. He loved alien ones especially, seeing how humans portrayed us, loved sci-fi ones. There was one I remember, _Star Wars_ ," she said as Amy listened intently, knowing Angel wouldn't be bringing up a random movie if it wasn't important, "They had this thing, this sort of little belief. Fear leads to Anger, Anger to Hate," she shook her head, there was more but she couldn't bear to think of it, how hate led to suffering, and not just her own suffering but the suffering of others as you took your hate out on them, that was not a thought she even wanted to entertain especially because...

"I'm _terrified_ Amy, I'm terrified that the Doctor won't ever remember, that he'll leave me for River, that..." she swallowed hard, that she'd lose the baby, "I'm already starting to get angry, at him, and it might not even be his fault, at River, and it might not be hers either. I don't know, I just _don't_. And I don't want it, that anger, to lead to hate, because that's a Dalek, Amy. _That's_ how you make a Dalek, you subtract love and add hate and I..." she shook her head, tears filling her eyes, the Daleks had taken everything from her, she blamed them more than the Doctor for what happened to Gallifrey, they took her sister from her, and the last thing she EVER wanted to be like was them, so she tried _so hard_ not to let it get her to that point, not to let it hurt her or make her angry or hateful...she didn't want to be that, "I don't want to be a Dalek. I don't want to lose my love and only have hate left and I'm so scared that will happen if I stay."

"Angel," Amy blinked quickly, feeling tears in her own eyes at seeing the Time Lady getting so upset, she remembered what the Doctor had said about the Daleks being the epitome of hate, and she couldn't ever imagine Angel being anything like that, but she could see how scared the woman was about the possibility. Everyone had a breaking point, everyone had a moment where they were pushed too far, and she had learned early on that the kindest people, when they hit that point, could be the most terrifying. Not only that, Angel had the Vortex at her disposal, which had to make her doubly scared, "That will never, EVER happen."

"You can't know that," Angel whispered, her voice shaking, "Every day Amy my hearts break more and every day I feel more lost to what I can do to fix everything. I'm not like the Doctor, I'm not clever, I've got _no idea_ what is happening and what will happen and..."

"He _will_ remember Angel," Amy squeezed her hand tightly, needing to cut in, needing her to know that it would all be ok, needing to comfort her like Angel always did everyone else, hoping she was doing a good enough job, " _I_ know it, you can't forget someone that important to you forever. I remembered Rory and I've just got a tiny human brain, the Doctor's mind is more...complex, it's just taking him a little longer. But he will remember, his mind and hearts just need time to catch up to each other."

Angel nodded sadly, "I hope so. Because it _hurts_ Amy. It hurts _so much_."

Amy tugged her hand, seeing the tears filling Angel's eyes, and the girl moved to lie down on the floor across from her, clutching Amy's hand as she tried to comfort the Time Lady as best she could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :( Learned a little bit more of Angel and her thoughts on it all here, got a tiny bit of bonding moments though :) And we'll have a tiny bit of Thella breaking through in the next chapter! Woo! ^-^ And then we just have Good Night (with some rather important Doctor-thoughts in it) and IDRIS! I'm SO excited for her! We'll really find out SO much about Angel and the Doctor and the TARDIS in that episode ;)
> 
> Just wanted to say...did anyone else notice how that one crewmember just disappeared? Lol, he and Mulligan were in the magazine, Mulligan runs off, then the pirate is missing till the very end of the episode. Where'd he go? Lol :)


	11. The Curse of the Black Spot: Sail Away

An hour or so later, as Amy, Angel, and Rory slept on the floor of the magazine, Avery stepped into the room to see Toby awake and sitting against the back wall, his cough keeping him up, having managed to hold it back long enough for the others to fall asleep, "I'm sorry about your mother," he moved to sit by his son, "You miss her a lot."

"Three years," Toby muttered, not looking at him, "No word from you."

"Toby..."

"You promised her. You _promised_ you'd come home. And she believed you would, right up until the day she died. What made you do it?" he shook his head at his father, tears in his eyes, "What made you...turn pirate?"

Avery sighed, unable to answer, "Get some sleep now," he got up and left as Toby laid down, turning on his side so his back was to him as he walked out of the room.

Moments later, Amy frowned in her sleep, hearing a woman's voice, "It's fine. You're doing fine. Just stay calm..."

She opened her eyes to see Angel before her, her face scrunched as she slept, but then she saw it! The same woman with the eye patch from the orphanage was staring at her through an opening in the wall behind Angel, just over the Time Lady's shoulder. She slid the panel shut and Amy sat up with a gasp.

"Amy?" Angel blinked blearily, waking up as well to see Amy staring at the wall, "What's wrong?"

Amy could only shake her head, staring at the wall, not sure if she was imagining it or not.

~8~

The Doctor stood on the deck, staring up at the night's sky, a bit lost in thought, looking at the stars which always seemed to remind him of Angel, how brightly the burned, how constant they were, how shining...when Avery joined him, "It's not one star, it's two," he pointed up at one of the brighter stars, "The dog star. Sirius. Binary system," he smiled, like a binary vascular system, two hearts, like Angel.

"I use it to navigate the ocean," Avery shrugged.

"I've travelled far like you," the Doctor studied him a moment, "Space can be very lonely. The greatest adventure is having someone share it with you," he knew that for a fact, it was so much better with Angel there...and Amy and Rory and other companions.

"If we get out of this, I'll take him back to England. He can't stay with me. I'm not the father he needs."

"Who are you? Henry Avery? Respected naval officer, wife and child at home. How did you end up here? Wandering the oceans with a band of rogues?"

"I've set my course now. Nothing I can do to alter it."

The Doctor glanced up, "People stared at it for centuries and never knew. Things can suddenly change. When you're least expecting," he turned and walked back into the ship, leaving Avery to his thoughts, and entered the captain's cabin slowly, staring at the windows as he placed a hat on the table beside him.

"Doctor…" Amy called as Angel walked beside her with her arm around her in comfort, leading the ginger to the cabin.

"Ah, Angel!" he cheered, rushing over to her and taking her arm, gently leading her to the middle of the room, standing her before the windows, him behind her. He put his hands on her shoulders, squeezing them lightly when he felt her tense, before leaning in to whisper in her ear, "What do you see?"

Angel swallowed, actually uncomfortable with how close he was to her, if he'd remembered or if she had a sign that he felt something for her she'd be better able to deal with the proximity, but like this...knowing he likely felt nothing at the moment...upset her, "There's something out there," she breathed, stepping away from him and towards the windows, reaching out a hand to touch the edge of it, touching the wood between the broken window panes, "Like there's something staring at me," she frowned, "A storm's coming," she remarked, a moment before thunder rumbled across the sky.

"Man the sails!" the Doctor shouted, running out of the room.

~8~

It was raining heavily on deck as Avery hung from a rope, Amy, Angel, and Rory (who had tried to talk Angel into waiting below deck) running over to the middle of the ship, "To the rigging, you dogs!" Avery shouted, gesturing at Amy and Angel, "Let go the sails!" he jumped down, "Avanti!"

Angel moved to run off after Amy when Rory stopped her, "I've got it," his eyes flickered down to her stomach before running off as Angel turned to help the captain.

"Put the bunt into the slack of the clews!"

Amy pulled on a pulley, "I swear he's making half this stuff up!"

"Well we're gonna need some kind of phrase book!" Rory shouted, nearly falling backwards as the Doctor took the wheel of the ship...not exactly the best plan ever.

"Toby!" Avery cried, seeing his son making his way over on deck, "Find my coat! My compass is inside it boy!" Toby nodded and made his way over to a chest in the center of the ship, "Heave ho, you bilge rats!"

"Rats was all I could hear!" Rory tried to yell above the sound of the rain.

Toby opened the chest and grabbed his father's coat, moving to bring it over...

When the crown fell out of it.

They all stopped, watching it roll and fall down flat at the edge of the ship. Toby looked at his father, betrayed, when an arm reached out of the crown and the Siren flew into the air, singing and landed before Toby, her hand held out.

"Don't let her take you!" Avery shouted, scrambling to get to Toby but the boy was entranced and walked towards her, "No!" he ran for it, lunged...but was too late, Toby burst into ashes, "No!"

Angel dropped the ropes she'd been holding, startled that she hadn't sensed that about to happen, when she saw Amy struggling to hold Rory back on a higher deck and rushed to help her. The Doctor leapt forward and tossed the crown into the ocean, the Siren fading away, breathing a sigh of relief that at least Rory was safe for the time being.

"Let go!" Rory struggled.

"Rory stop!" Amy grabbed his arms as he flailed to escape them.

"I'm sorry," Avery wept, falling to his knees, the true weight of everything hitting him, everything he'd done, "I'm sorry…"

"You couldn't give up the gold could you?!" the Doctor shouted at him, "That's why you turned pirate! Your commission, your wife, your _son_!" Avery looked away, "Just how much is that treasure worth to you man?!"

He was angry, he always got angry when children were hurt. Because he couldn't have any. Not anymore, not with Gallifrey gone. Time Lords could only reproduce within their species, so really...there was only Angel. If he wanted to have a child, which he did, terribly, he would have to be with her and he refused to use her in that way. If he was with someone like that, if a child was conceived, he wanted it to be out of love and not desperation for a family. Angel didn't deserve that.

He closed his eyes a moment, his hearts zinging painfully in his chest at his thoughts. Something about it...about picturing Angel and him, having a baby...he could actually _picture_ it. He could see it in his mind, imagine it, a child that blended them perfectly, and showing it off, surrounding it with family. Him and her, sitting with all the companions, passing around a baby, him watching it with hawk eyes for the slightest sign of discontent till Angel lightly took his hand and kissed his knuckles to reassure him and...

His eyes snapped open at his imaginings, swallowing hard as his hearts raced instead. What was _that_?!

"Doctor!" Angel shouted, pulling his attention over as she ran to the edge of the upper deck, "He may have been displaced!"

"What?" he looked up at her.

"We thought Rose was disintegrated once, remember?" she called down to him, "But she'd just been transported, transmatted! There's a chance that's what happened here!"

Unfortunately, without her there to help Amy, Rory broke away and ran to the side of the ship just as a sail broke its hold and swung around, knocking him overboard.

"Rory!" Amy screamed, running to the side and looking over, "Rory! I can't see him!" the Doctor ran to the railing as Angel rushed to Amy's side, "I'm going in!"

"No!" Angel grabbed Amy's coat and pulled it back on her as she tried to take it off.

"Drowning!" the Doctor called up to them, "He's drowning! You go in after him you'll drown too. There's only one thing that can save him now."

"What are you talking about?" Amy shook her head as Angel led her down to the lower deck where the Doctor and Avery were.

"The Siren. The Siren, she wants him. We have to release her!" he ran to a barrel of water.

"Doctor no!" Amy cried as the Doctor soniced the lid of the water and lifted it up, "No!"

The Siren flew up into the air as the Doctor turned to her, gesturing to the ocean, "He's drowning. Go find him!" the Siren turned and dove into the water as he put the lid back down.

"What did you do?!"

"If we leave him in the water he'll drown!" Angel told her.

"If we let her have him, she'll destroy him!"

"That thing isn't just a ravenous hunter," the Doctor argued, "It's intelligent. We can reason with it and maybe, just maybe, they're still alive somewhere. We have to follow."

"Are you _mad_?" Avery asked.

"If we ever want to see them again we have to let the Siren take us," he pulled out a nail from his jacket, the same one Avery had nearly fallen on, "We'll prick our fingers. The three of us," he continued, turning to Angel, "Angel you get below deck and..."

But Angel reached out and took the nail from him, "Rory is MY companion!" she reminded him.

He winced, he should have known Angel would want to go but...he didn't want to prick her finger, much like he hadn't wanted to inject her with the nano-recorder either. It would hurt! But this time...it would draw blood and his stomach twisted to think of Angel bleeding, even more so to imagine her bursting into ashes beside him in the vague hope that it really was a transmat as she'd guessed, not that he doubted her, not ever.

"He's my brother, Doctor," Angel added, quiet, though he could hear her over the rain easily, he was right next to her, "You can't ask me to stay here and leave him."

He nodded, "Of course," he murmured, though he wasn't happy _at all_ about this. He swallowed hard, and closed her hand around the nail, not taking it back. He'd rather she hurt _him_ by pricking his hand than for him to hurt her ever. He glanced at Amy and Avery, "All agreed?"

"Aye," Avery nodded after a moment.

"Aye," Amy added.

"Aye then," he held out his hand, Angel pricking them all and then herself as the Siren appeared. They all held their hands out to her and disappeared in a white light...

~8~

Angel blinked blearily as she found herself lying, on her side, her back to the Doctor, on the floor of a spaceship. She pushed herself up to see the Doctor doing the same, Amy and Avery on their backs, "Where are we?" Amy asked.

The Doctor pushed himself up more, "We haven't moved. We're in exactly the same place as before," he stood up and looked through a large window to see that they were staring at the ship during the storm.

"We're on a ghost ship," Avery breathed.

"Not really," Angel shook her head, getting up too, "It's just a spaceship trapped in a temporal rift."

"How can two ships be in the same place?" Amy looked at her.

"Not the same," the Doctor explained, "Two planes, two worlds. Two cars parked in the same space. There are lots of different Universes nested inside each other now and again they collide and you can step from one to the other."

"Ok…I think I understand…"

"Good 'cos it's not like that at all, but if that helps…"

"Thanks," Amy rolled her eyes.

"All the reflections have suddenly become gateways…" he picked up a piece of metal and chucked it at the window, sending it straight through and onto the deck, "Ever look in a mirror and feel like you're seeing a whole other world?

"Reinette," Angel nodded and he pointed at her, despite Amy and Avery having no idea what they were talking about.

"Well this time it's not France, it's just..." he trailed off a moment, frowning when he saw her absently rubbing her pricked finger and reached out, taking her hand and lifting it to look at, seeing it was mostly a scratch now but still red and raw and painful...and actually very small but he didn't exactly notice _that_ part of it, just that it looked like it hurt, or at least stung.

Angel eyed him curiously as he just stared at her hand...and then she gasped, feeling a warmth spread through it. She looked down, her eyes wide as she saw a soft wisp of orange energy seep into her scratch, mending it...and stared at the Doctor in disbelief. It wasn't all that long ago (a little more than 2 years really), that he had looked past her bruises and other injuries without a thought of doing what he'd just done.

"Why did you do that?" she breathed, her hearts racing, he still hadn't let go of her hand, the hand he'd just healed.

"You were hurt," he said simply.

She blinked, "But it's a waste of regeneration energy."

~oOo~

_It wouldn't have stopped the Master from hurting Angel in every other possible way just to spite him, just to get to him and anger him, make him vulnerable, use her as bait in a trap. He wouldn't put it past the man, especially not when Angel had a bruise on her head as proof that the Master had no qualms with hurting her already._

_He pulled away, looking gently at her, before lifting his hand to lightly trace the bruise, wincing himself as Angel flinched at how tender it was. He began to stroke it gently with his thumb, a slight orange energy pouring out of it, healing the bruise. It was probably something he shouldn't do, use his regeneration energy like that. Time Lords could heal each other with their regeneration energy, but it was only meant to be used in the most dire of circumstances as it was a precious energy and one not to be wasted._

_But it was never a waste if it meant Angel wasn't hurt any longer._

_He'd give all his regeneration energy to see her perfect and healthy and fine for the rest of eternity._

~oOo~

He frowned at that, "It's not a waste if it's worth it," he murmured, looking into her eyes, "And you're worth that and more."

Angel searched his eyes, so SO confused. She'd _just_ seen him kissing River Song not too long ago and now he was being so sweet to her and healing her hand and complimenting her. She didn't know what to make of it. It was like every single day he was a different man. One day he'd be grinning at her and doing what she wanted, the next back to his normal self and just focusing on an adventure, and the next asking the Ponds if they wanted to pop in and take River on an adventure (which Rory and Amy had both always declined to do for some reason). He was all over the place and his thoughts were no better. One minute they were flustered ones about her, others a platonic feeling behind a less-than-platonic compliment, and others still as though she weren't even there.

He was...more...than he had been when he'd first regenerated. He noticed her more, complimented her more, seemed to focus on her more, yes...but she didn't know _why_ , HE didn't even know why. She'd rather him do that because he loved her or was falling in love with her and not because he was trying to work out why he was so focused on her by focusing on her more, as though SHE held the answers. Every time she thought he might feel more for her than he seemed to, he'd brush it aside or stop treating her however he was treating her, like he didn't want to feel that. And that hurt. But then, only moments later, he'd be back to being fond to her again!

He was so confusing!

"Do you _really_ have to flirt _now_?" Amy asked, cutting into their moment. She felt terrible to do it, she knew how badly Angel deserved a moment like this with the Doctor, moments that gave the Time Lady (and them) hope that the Doctor was remembering her, or at the very least falling back in love with her, but...she was really very worried for her husband. Rory had been _drowning_!

"What?!" the Doctor half-leapt away from Angel at that, "We weren't...we weren't _flirting_!" he defended, but Amy just gave him a look as if to say 'oh really?' and he blushed, "We were just...just...just...talking, healing! Flirting is for couples, we're not a couple, we're just friends, mates," he winced at that word, his hearts twisting even more painfully than they had before, "Friends," he amended, going with that word instead.

He really needed to _stop_ using 'mate' so much if he kept wincing all the time.

A beeping noise sounded behind them, pulling all their attention away, and they turned to head after it, "The signal?" Amy guessed.

"Yes," the Doctor took the lead, needing to distract himself from the awkwardness of before.

"The distress call."

"Uh huh."

"There was a second ship here all this time."

Angel paused, hearing the singing, "Is that the Siren?"

The Doctor hit a button on the door before them and it opened to reveal a dead alien in a spacesuit. They jumped back, the captain grabbing his gun when the Doctor lowered it, "Dead," he looked at it closely, some sort of cross between a rat and a beaver head with a fin in the back of it, decomposed. He led them past the alien, Angel shying as far away from it as she could, pressing a hand to her nose and mouth to try and block the smell that was making her gag a bit and feel slightly ill, and into a main control room, the flight deck, where another alien was in the seat, dead as well. The windows showed the captain's cabin. The Doctor moved to examine the alien, crouching down to peer closely at it as Amy, Angel, and Avery looked through the window.

"You were right," Amy remarked, "There was something staring at us the whole time. How long has this ship been marooned here?"

"Long enough for the captain to have run out of grog," Avery sighed.

"I don't understand, if this is the captain," she looked at the Doctor pulling out his sonic, "Then what's the Siren?"

"Same as us," the Doctor soniced it, "A stowaway."

"I'm not so sure about that..." Angel murmured.

"She killed it," Amy determined.

"Or that."

The Doctor looked at the sonic, "Human bacteria."

"What?" Amy frowned.

"A virus. From our planet. Airborne Travelling through the portal," he put the sonic away, " _That's_ what killed it, didn't get it's jobbbssss…" he leaned over and put his hand in a slime on the console, pulling back and looking at it, disgusted, "Look…"

"What is it?"

"Sneeze! Alien boogies!" he flicked his hand to get some of the slime off before wiping the rest on Amy's jacket as he walked past the unamused ginger, beaming when he caught a bit of a smile on Angel's face.

~8~

The Doctor whipped out the sonic and scanned a very white, sterile room where dozens of people were lying on tables, their shoes and shirts off, with tubes around their throats, arms, and abdomens, monitoring them, "Legraw!" Avery pointed at one, "He's one of my men."

"He's breathing," Angel looked at the man.

"My entire crew is here!" Avery looked around as the Doctor picked up a black block thing and examined it, "Toby!" he ran to his son's side.

"Rory!" Amy spotted him and ran to him.

"The TARDIS!" the Doctor rushed over and kissed it while Angel stood in the middle of the room, a small frown on her face as she looked around.

"We have to get him out of here," Avery remarked.

The Doctor ran over to him, "Wait!" and scanned Toby with the sonic, "He's fever's gone," he moved to scan Rory.

"He looks so well," Amy commented as Angel walked over to her as well.

"I think the Siren's been keeping them alive," Angel breathed.

The Doctor read the scan, "His brain is still active but all its cellular activity is suspended. It's not a curse," he pulled out the block to reveal a yellow spot on it, "It's a tissue sample. Why get samples of people you're about to kill?"

"I told you," Angel looked at him, "I don't think she's trying to kill anyone."

He frowned, "Then what does she need them for?"

Angel could only shrug, she couldn't see everything.

"Well I'm not waiting to find out," Amy muttered, "Help me get him up?" she asked and the Doctor moved to help un-strap him when Angel tensed and grabbed their arms, pulling them to the side of the room as the Siren's song reached them.

"Avery!" the Doctor hissed, "She's coming!" Avery ran over and joined them, hiding behind a panel. They watched as the Siren entered the room and walked over to the now-awake Rory. She placed a hand over his chest and sang to him, quieting him down to sleep, "Anesthetic," the Doctor realized.

"What?" Avery frowned.

"The music, the song, so she anesthetizes people and puts their bodies in stasis."

And then the Siren moved over to Toby.

"Avery…no!" Angel hissed but Avery didn't listen, he stepped forward and fired at the Siren, making her turn red and angry. She hissed and screeched at him as she stalked towards him.

The Doctor ran out the back of the panel around another table with another crewmember on it and sneezed. The Siren turned to him, creating a fire between her hands and headed after him instead.

"Fire…" his eyes widened, "That's new. Uh…" he ran a hand though his hair, "What does fire do?" he backed away, "Burn, yes. Destroy, what else? Uh, sterilize!" he started to stutter as he pulled out a hanky, "I-I-I-I-I-I I-I sneezed! I'm all germy!" he blew his nose and threw it to the floor where the Siren burned it.

"Amy, stop!" Angel yelled as Amy ran to Rory's side.

"Don't interfere!" the Doctor agreed as the Siren turned and advanced on Amy now, "Don't touch him! Anesthetic, tissue sample, screens, sterile working conditions…uh, ignore all my previous theories!"

"Yeah, well, we stopped paying attention a while back!" Amy informed him, still working to get Rory out.

Angel reached out and pulled Amy back, away from Rory, "She's not trying to kill him Amy, she's trying to heal them...she's a doctor."

Amy dropped her hands and allowed Angel to pull her back as the Siren returned to her calm, green glow.

The Doctor looked around, "This is an automated sick bay! It's teleporting everyone onboard…the crew are dead and so the sick bay's had nothing to do," he stepped over to them, "It's been looking after humanity whilst it's been idle. Look at her. A virtual doctor able to sterilize a whole room."

"Able to burn your face off," Amy countered.

"She's just an interface seeped through the join between the planes, broadcast in our world," the Doctor waved her off, "Protein circuitry means she can change her form and become a human doctor for humans," he grinned at the hologram, "Oh, sister, you are good!"

Amy moved to take Rory's collar off and the Siren turned red and hissed at her. Angel quickly pulled her back and the Siren returned green.

"She won't let us take them," Avery realized as he walked to Toby.

"She wasn't meant to handle humans," Angel said slowly as she stared at the Siren, "I'm not sure she knows how to heal them."

"I'm his wife for God sake, why can't I touch him?" Amy looked between her and the Doctor.

"Tell her Amy," the Doctor stepped up and Amy looked at him, confused, "Show her your ring," he reached for Amy's hand and held it up by Rory's, "She may be virtual but she's _intelligent_. You can't do anything without her consent," he turned to the Siren, showing her the matching rings, "Come on, sophisticated girl like you that must be somewhere in your core program."

The Siren looked at the rings.

"Look, he's very ill, ok?" Amy turned to her as well, "I just want to look after him," the Siren looked at her, "Why won't you let me near my husband?"

The Siren seemed to realize something and tilted her head, holding out her hand and a golden ring appeared around it.

"Consent form," the Doctor whispered to Amy, "Sign it, put your hand in the light. Rory's sick you have to take full responsibility."

Amy put her hand in the light and a moment later the Siren disappeared. She turned to the Doctor before rushing around to his side to help get Rory out. She hit a button and Rory jerked up, gasping for air.

"He can't breathe," Angel cried, "Turn it on!"

Amy hit the button and Rory relaxed, "What do we do? I can't just leave him here."

"He'll die if you take him out," Avery called.

Amy put a hand on Rory's hair, stroking it as she whispered to him, "Rory...Rory wake up."

Rory slowly woke and looked around, "Where am I?"

"In a hospital," Angel told him gently, shifting a bit, she really, really didn't like hospitals of any kind. The only medical room she could stand to be in was the TARDIS med-bay.

"If you leave you might die," the Doctor added.

Amy glared at him a moment before looking back at Rory, "But if you don't...you'll have to stay forever."

"You're saying that if I don't get up now…" Rory began.

"You can never leave."

"The Siren will keep you safe," the Doctor told him.

"And if I come with you…" Rory looked at him.

"Drowning on the point of death."

Rory paused, thinking for a moment before looking at Amy, "I'm a nurse."

"What?" she frowned.

"I can teach you how to save me."

"Wait, hold on…"

"I was drowning, you just have to resuscitate me."

"Just…"

"You've seen them do it loads of times in films. CPR, the kiss of life."

"Rory this isn't a film ok!" Amy blinked back her tears, 'What if I do it wrong?"

"You won't," Angel reached out and put a hand on Amy's shoulder.

Amy looked at her, seeing a knowing look in the girl's eyes before looking at Rory again, "Ok, what if you don't come back to life? What if…"

"I trust you," Rory told her softly, taking her hand without moving much, squeezing it.

"What about them?" she nodded at the Doctor and Angel, "Hmm? I mean, why do _I_ have to be the one? Why do I have to save you?"

"'Cos I know you'll never give up."

Amy nodded, knowing the Doctor, despite being called that, given all he didn't tell them, might not have passed any exams to really be qualified to be one and Angel, bless her, she probably had no idea how the Vortex would be used to try and replace CPR for a human, if it even could. She'd seen it heal physical wounds, but...could it revive someone? Angel had told them stories of her brother Jack, of what had happened to him, but how that had been the Vortex in control of her, would she be able to do that while SHE still had control? She couldn't risk it.

Rory smiled and started to explain the process to her as the Doctor walked over to Avery, Angel taking his place beside Amy, offering support.

"We have to send the ship back into space," the Doctor told the man, "Can you imagine if the Siren got ashore? She would have to process every injured human."

"What about Toby?" he asked.

"I'm sorry. Typhoid Fever, once he returns it's only a matter of time…"

"What if I stay with him? Here? The Siren will look after him," the Doctor considered it, "I can't go back to England. What home does he have now if not with me?"

He nodded, proud the man had finally realized the treasure he had in front of him, "You think you can sail this thing?"

"Just point me to the atom accelerator."

The Doctor laughed and patted him on the shoulder, walking back to Amy, Angel, and Rory, "I know you can do this," Rory told his wife, "Of course if you muck it up I'm going to be very cross…and dead."

Angel put a hand on Amy's shoulder, squeezing it, "You won't muck it up Amy."

Amy swallowed hard and looked at Rory, stroking his face once more, "I'll see you in a minute."

Rory nodded and prepared himself. The three of them then started ripping the straps and pads off him. Rory gasped, unable to breathe, and they hauled him to the TARDIS, laying him on the floor. Amy dropped to her knees beside him, doing 5 compressions and a breath.

Nothing.

The Doctor nodded encouragingly at her. 5 compressions, 1 breath...

Nothing.

Angel put a hand on Amy's back, rubbing it as Amy worked, "Come on Rory!" she whispered.

"Not here," the Doctor agreed, "Not this way, not today!"

5 compressions, 1 breath...

Nothing.

"He trusted me," Amy started to cry, "He trusted me to save him!"

"You still can," Angel told her, "You can do it. Rory's not the only one who believes in you."

Amy started again, "Come on!" the Doctor added.

5 compressions, 1 breath.

Nothing.

"No!" Amy cried.

5 compressions, 1 breath...

Nothing.

"Please, please, please, please, please, wake up!" Amy started to beg as she worked, "Please, please…"

5 compressions, 1 breath...

...nothing.

Amy started to cry as the Doctor fell back on his heels. She pushed herself up and looked at Rory but he didn't move. Amy turned to Angel, falling into the girl's arms and sobbed as the Doctor looked away.

Angel just smiled, "You did it Amy."

Amy pulled back and looked at her sharply...when Rory started choking on water and coughing. He rolled on his side as Amy and the Doctor looked on, stunned, Angel just smiling away, she said Amy could do it!

Rory gasped for air and the Doctor jumped up in delight as Amy helped her husband sit up, "Amy…" Rory breathed as she smiled, "Amy you did it! You did it!" he hugged her tightly as she hugged him back, crying into his shoulder as Angel sat back and smiled at them both, tears of relief in her eyes.

~8~

Avery and Toby sat at the controls of the ship, Toby with the medical tube around his neck but awake. They shared a smile, looking out at Sirius as the other crewmembers walked in.

~8~

Angel, Amy, and Rory were walking up the stairs, Rory in a blue bathrobe, ready for some sleep, even Angel was exhausted from the emotional turmoil of the last few hours, "I thought I was an excellent pirate," Amy commented as Angel laughed.

"I thought you were an excellent nurse," Rory remarked.

"Easy tiger," she laughed before turning to the Doctor who was still at the console, "Good night Doctor."

"Good night Amelia," he stood at the monitor, tense.

"You only call me Amelia when you're worrying about me," Amy eyed him, suspicious.

"I always worry about you."

"We _both_ do," Angel told her.

Amy glanced at Angel and then back at the Doctor, "Mutual."

"Go to bed, Pond!" the Doctor looked at her.

Angel rolled her eyes at him before putting an arm around Amy's shoulders, knowing the terror of losing...nearly losing...someone you love and offering extra support as they walked up the stairs with Rory.

The Doctor looked back at the scanner.

_Amelia Pond_  
_Full body scan in progress_  
_Pregnancy…_

He sighed, it was still flashing positive/negative. He looked back at the stairs, "Oh Amelia…" he rubbed his head, his hand falling to his mouth as he stared at it a moment longer, before flicking the monitor off and heading off to bed as well.

~8~

_He was kissing her, he was kissing her deeply, both of them flush against each other, pressed against the door to his room, having stumbled in with him clumsily trying to shut it with his foot. Her black hair was soft, so soft he couldn't help but run his fingers through it, something she seemed to delight in doing in return...making him let out a low moan at the sensation of her fingers running through his own hair. It felt so good, so...intimate...truly a sensation he could only imagine her being able to inspire in him. His one arm wound around her waist, wedging itself between her back and the wall, uncomfortable yes, but it allowed him to pull her closer, to pull himself closer to her and that was all he wanted, to be as close to her as he could be._

_She wound her arms around his neck and he could feel her move onto her toes to press herself more firmly into his kiss, never before had he been more thankful for their respiratory bypass systems that let them kiss like this, so long, without needing to break for air. Though there was one thing he needed to break for, clarity._

_He never had that around her, clarity, his thoughts were always consumed by her, by her eyes, her smile, her body, her hearts, her soul...everything. His mind thought of her constantly, his hearts beat for her, his soul yearned for her. It had been calling out to her for years now, wanting to claim her as his so completely and in a way no one else would ever be able to. And that was what he wanted, badly, what he'd wanted for so long, what he'd fought and restrained himself against rushing into. But he needed her now, and now...they were both ready. Now he had the chance to make her his forever and in every single way._

_He pulled his lips away from hers, panting as he reached a hand up to cup her cheek, lightly stroking it with a finger, staring into her liquid silver eyes, so captivating how those little speckles of gold seemed to shine in the false moonlight, "Are you sure?" he had to ask, just once._

_He could only manage to ask her one more time...he wouldn't be able to stop himself in a moment._

_She just smiled at him, pushing herself up to give him a peck, laughing as his head tried to follow her down, wanting to reclaim her lips, "More than anything," she told him, sounding so...happy..._

_His hearts swelled at hearing that, at hearing that tone in her voice, at knowing HE had done it, that HE had made her that happy, at knowing that HE was the only one who could make her so._

_She looked up at him, his breath catching in his throat, she was so...beautiful. Her hair was a mess from his weaving fingers, her clothes wrinkled from his wandering hands, her cheeks flushed, her eyes shining, and there may or may not have been tiny nibble marks on her neck from his eagerness, her lips were just lightly swollen from his fevered kisses and her chest was heaving from how she couldn't catch her breath, and she had never looked more lovely to him._

_"I love you," she told him in a whisper, all the love she felt for him shining in her eyes._

_He beamed at that, "My Angel..."_

The Doctor's eyes snapped open and he scrambled from where he'd fallen asleep on his side, clutching a pillow to his chest as he laid in bed, moving in frantic motions till he was sitting up, panting. The sheets were tangled around him, a fine layer of sweat covered his entire body yet he was shaking as though chilled, clutching the pillow more firmly to him as he looked around, completely thrown.

He panted, trying to catch his breath before he winced and pressed a hand to his forehead, his head throbbing.

_What had THAT been?!_

The dream played itself over in his mind, making him flush at the mere memory of it, of imagining him and Angel in such a position. He had, admittedly, had small, tiny fantasies about the Time Lady on and off but this...this was so far beyond...he didn't know what to think. He _really_ didn't because...this wasn't the first time he'd dreamt of something like that.

Ever since he'd regenerated, he hadn't really dreamed much, he hadn't really ever been able to fall asleep or stay asleep to think of it. But, he'd noticed, ever since they'd dealt with the Silence, that...his dreams had become more vivid...and all of them centered around Angel. He'd like to think it was just a result of her threatening to leave, that it was his mind playing tricks on him, trying to make her seem more important to him...as though she weren't already the most important person in his life...but...it had happened even _before_ that moment.

Really, it had started in Area 51.

He and Angel, due to not being able to communicate with Canton, had both agreed to think of the aliens, the Silence, as much as they could, to refresh the information so to speak. They'd both tried to keep the aliens in mind, to not forget them, to make themselves remember them if they did forget. It was...odd...an odd feeling to try and remember something you'd forgotten and...for some reason, it had been harder for him to keep the Silence in mind. He had to put more effort into remembering them.

He didn't understand what it could be, perhaps it had been a result of the year with Angel while the Ponds were away and then the three extra months in Area 51 that had just...made Angel a more prominent thought in his mind. It had really been just them for quite a while, it was understandable that, with her being so often in his thoughts, she would make her way to his dreams as well.

But most of them were...not like this one. Most were of them doing something else, like...dancing or talking or having fun in the pool or sitting in the library...not...he swallowed...not THAT. He let out a shuddering breath, feeling his hearts start to race, his body flushing at the reminder of the dream.

He hugged the pillow closer to him, oddly enough the only way he was able to fall asleep and have some chance of staying asleep lately was to hold a pillow to him, and buried his nose in it, inhaling deeply as he tried to calm himself. He took quite a few deep breaths before lying back down on his back, turning over a moment later to his side and staring at the back wall. He blinked a few times before closing his eyes, just...wanting to get back to sleep instead of dealing with trying to think about what the dream could mean, it was _just_ a dream, just...a figment of his imagination...a rather...pleasant figment. He winced and shook his head, banishing the thought, he should _not_ be thinking of Angel that way, that was wrong.

Slowly as he fell back asleep, one thought kept niggling in his mind... _why_ was it wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh! The Doctor healed Angel with his regeneration energy! He's come a pretty long way from the start of his 11th self eh? ;) And it seems the Silence, or at least his efforts to remember them, are having an affect on him. But he's still denying quite a bit isn't he, still thinks it's just fantasies -sigh- Oh Doctor you are just too oblivious! But since he won't come in contact with the Silence for a very long while, he probably won't be putting much effort into it in the future :( So we still don't know when he'll remember :( He's rather good at distracting himself and convincing himself he's just imagining things isn't he? Grrr, Doctor! -shakes fist- lol, but I hope you liked that little end scene there ;) But here's a question...is he really remembering? Or is it really a fantasy? Or is it both? ;) I sort of like the both idea but with a bit more fantasy to it ;) And with the Silence being forgotten till the end of the series (lol, see what I did there?) I think that'll open up many more true fantasy moments ;)
> 
> Here's a tiny little thing to look at/think about...what's up with the pillow? ;)


	12. The Angel's Sister: Hello!

An older woman in tattered, patchwork clothes led a young woman in a light blue dress through a series of tunnels lit by a sickly green glow, cluttered with what looked like debris. They stopped in a large cavern where a slightly hunchbacked man was waiting, "Will it be me, Uncle?" the young woman asked him, her voice trembling.

"Yes, it's going to be you," he replied, "I only wish I could go in your place, Idris," and then he smiled, starting to chuckle, "Nah, I don't, 'cos it's _really_ going to hurt."

An Ood with green eyes stepped forward and grabbed Idris's arm, "It's starting," she breathed as the Ood helped her up a two step platform to stand on a grate that was glowing green, "What will happen?" she looked at the duo.

"Oh," the woman explained, "Um, er, Nephew," she gestured at the Ood, "Will drain your mind and your soul from your body and leave your body empty."

The Ood placed a hand on either side of Idris's head, "I'm scared!" she cried, tears in her eyes, as smoke began to rise from the grate, Idris gasping for breath, shaking.

"I expect so, dear. But soon you'll have a new soul," she grinned widely, "There'll be a Time Lord coming!"

Idris screamed as the green glow in the Ood's eyes grew more intense...

~8~

The Doctor was walking around the console while Rory sat in the jump seat, listening to him gob on...barely, more intent to watch Angel leaning over the console as she piloted the box to drift in space, he was always watching her from the corner of his eye, always worrying about her.

"And then we discovered it wasn't the robot king at all," the Doctor said as he continued his story, oblivious to the fact that Rory wasn't really paying attention...because _Angel_ was, "It was the real one," he grinned at Angel who offered him a small smile in return, just... _thrilled_ she was paying attention to him, listening to his story, despite the fact she had been there during that adventure and she knew what had happened, he loved when she did that, not that she ever really blatantly ignored him.

Sometimes though...sometimes he'd catch her attention drifting, her thoughts deepening to the point where she just...didn't notice him talking. He'd have thought that he would be more...upset when that happened but he usually found himself more concerned, because she often had an expression on her face that just...broke his hearts. It was like she was so _sad_ but he didn't know what was making her sad and that hurt him, to know that she hadn't talked to him about it. He tried to be there for her, to make her see that she could talk to him about anything, to just...let her know he was there.

But he'd noticed she talked to Rory more.

And it _did_ hurt.

But at least she was speaking to _someone_ and he DID see her smiling a bit afterwards. Not that he was disappointed about it, that she was smiling and that _Rory_ had been able to get it on her face, nope, not at all, no. He was just...she was a Time Lady! She was the last of HIS species. She was bonded to HIS TARDIS. She was HIS Angel! Not Rory's. He would have rather she'd spoken to Amy, that way he'd know it was a 'girl thing' that he wouldn't have been able to help with but she was talking to RORY! Why Rory and not HIM?

He shook his head from those thoughts, knowing that what Angel talked about and who to was none of his business. It was just... _hard_...to accept that. He'd been...a bit more...protective...of Angel lately, more noticing of who she spent time around, who she talked to, who she smiled at, and it got to him when it wasn't him. He knew it was just...things getting to him. His head was a bit...weird, fuzzy, around Angel, in a way that was both nice and not so nice. Nice as, sometimes, he'd feel a warmth spread through him, but not nice as, at times, he would get a headache. Not that it was Angel's fault! Not at all, Angel never ever tried to hurt others.

It was probably just the lack of sleep getting to him.

He'd been having...odd dreams lately. Intense dreams. From what he could remember. Sometimes he'd wake up and his hearts would race but he'd fall asleep again and, waking up later, have forgotten what he'd dreamt, the dream itself fading away as dreams did. He remembered bits and pieces of it though. Other times he'd wake and be unable to fall asleep again, both because of his head pounding and because he just...wasn't sure what he'd dream next. His last dream had...shaken him...he dreamt of himself, standing in the Vault of the Crucible, Davros taunting him about how Angel was dying...he hadn't gone back to sleep for fear the nightmare would continue and Angel would truly die in the dream.

He actually hadn't been able to really sleep since then.

"Like I _told_ you it was," Angel cut into his thoughts, adding a small laugh to her words that made him positively beam to hear.

"Fortunately I was able to reattach the head," he pointed at her as Amy walked down the stairs from the halls.

"Do you believe any of this stuff?" Rory looked at his wife.

"I was there," Amy sighed, having heard this story numerous times on top of living it.

Before the Doctor could so much as stick his tongue out at her, a small, beeping alarm went off and he ran around the console to Angel's side, quite possibly invading a bit of her personal space as he came close to her, his one hand coming to rest on the small of her back though he didn't seem to realize, as he looked at it with her, "Oh! It's the warning lights! I'm getting rid of those," he tapped the console, "They never stop!" and kicked it.

"Doctor!" Angel shouted.

"What?" he looked at her and she simply reached out and flicked a switch up, the alarms and lights turning off, "Oh," he grinned bashfully.

Amy looked at them a moment, smiling softly, though sadly, as she saw the soft look appear in the Doctor's eyes as he continued to look at Angel. She had moved past the anger at the Doctor for kissing River (though she was just itching to slap him still for it) and had just...she hadn't been able to stop thinking about the lake and Angel. Seeing Rory die a few adventures ago, seeing him drown, coming so close to losing him, and then to see the Doctor growing closer to Angel had only made her more aware that the Time Lady's time was limited. She wanted the Doctor to remember her, badly, had searched her brain to work out some way to get him to remember Angel like she had Rory, but...every time she saw him getting closer to Angel she felt hope he'd remember on his own. But it always made her wonder...how much longer would it take? Would he remember by the time the lake came around and lose Angel only moments after? She hoped not, that would kill Angel to have him back and then lose him again in a way. She hoped it would be soon but...it seemed like every time he came close to remembering, or he got closer to Angel, something would snap in him and he'd push it and her away even more. She was worried, _so worried_ that, despite hers and Rory's promises, he might never remember.

So she turned away and headed towards the stairs to the under-console, unable to bear watching the Doctor smiling at Angel, knowing that he might not remember till it was too late and Angel had been lost, unable to bear looking at Angel and knowing that she and Rory might not be able to work out a way to save her without creating a massive paradox.

"Hey!" Rory ran down the stairs after Amy, "You're still thinking about it, aren't you?"

"Oh shh!" she hissed, looking at the pair by the console, needing to make sure they didn't hear her, "We saw her _die_."

"I know Amy," Rory took her hand, it was _all_ he thought about too, that and what he knew that Amy didn't, the fate of their niece, "200 years in the future..."

"Yeah but it's still gonna happen."

"And we'll stop it," Rory promised, squeezing her hand, "Somehow, we'll find a way to do it."

"How?" Amy shook her head, River had made it seem so hopeless, like no matter what they _couldn't_ change the future.

"I don't know," Rory admitted, "But we _will_ , because Angel brought us there for a reason," he smiled when he saw Amy give him a confused look, "I've learned that Angel never pushes me somewhere for nothing. I might get there and not have a clue what to do, but she put me there because she knew I'd work it out, she knew I'd be able to do it. And we will Amy, I think..." he nodded, more sure of it, "I think she wanted us there so we could work out a way to help, because she knew we'd be able to work it out. She had faith in us, we just have to have faith in us too."

Amy gave him as soft look, smiling at him, "When did you get so wise?"

He smiled, "Well, I had a lot of time to read in 2,000 years," he joked.

Amy laughed and hugged him tightly, more reassured than she had been. He was right, she'd noticed Angel only ever gave Rory a push to do something when she knew it was something he could handle. Life never gave you anything you weren't strong enough to handle, it was all about finding the strength to face it. And she knew, she could face anything with Rory beside her.

"Knock knock," Angel called.

"Who's there?" the Doctor laughed, waiting for the rest of the joke.

"No," she shook her head and pointed at the doors, "Knock knock."

And suddenly there was a knock knock-knock knock knock at the doors. The Doctor spun around to look at it as Amy and Rory looked over as well, "What was that?" Amy walked up the stairs with Rory, joining Angel at the rail as she walked over to the edge to look at the doors.

"The door," the Doctor replied, walking over to it, "It knocked."

"Right…we are in deep space…" Rory reminded him. He'd learned a while ago to just ask questions or make comments, even if they sounded stupid. Because, in the end, it didn't matter if the Doctor thought they were, and the Doctor often did think they were, if _he_ thought they were important he should say it. Because his opinion mattered just as much as Amy's and just as much as a Time Lord's.

And...Angel usually would comment or answer them in a way that made him feel less stupid for asking.

"Very, _very_ deep," the Doctor agreed, doing the rhythmic knock again but adding a knock-knock at the end, "And somebody's knocking," he turned and opened the doors to see a cube of light floating there. Angel's eyes widened at the sight, recognizing the device, "Oh come here. Come here you scrumptious little beauty!"

He held out his hand and it flew right past him and into the TARDIS, past Amy, Rory, and Angel. It shot back at the Doctor, hitting him in the chest and knocking him to the floor, before flying back to hover around Angel, who reached out and took it gently, staring at it in awe.

"A box?" Rory looked at it.

"What is it?" Amy frowned.

The Doctor popped up and looked at Angel as she held the box before her, eyes wide as she looked at him, only for him to let out a cheer of, "We've got mail!"

~8~

The Doctor quickly set the controls while Angel held the box, still looking at it as though she couldn't believe it existed, "It's a T.L.E.M.S.," Angel explained to Rory and Amy, "Which stands for 'Time Lord Emergency Messaging System. TARDISes, in an emergency, can be used to collect our thoughts and put them into these," she held up the box, "Psychic containers that are programmed to go wherever you need them to, anywhere in time and space."

"Which means!" the Doctor flicked up a lever and ran over to them, "There's a _living_ Time Lord still out there! And it's one of the good ones!" he bent down to type in coordinates.

"You said there _weren't_ any other Time Lords left," Rory remarked softly, recalling what Angel had told him about the War when she'd told him about Mickey and the Daleks.

The Doctor popped up, "There are no Time Lords left anywhere in the Universe. But the Universe isn't where we're going. See that snake…" he pointed at a snake that appeared to be eating itself on the side of the box, "The mark of…"

"The Corsair," Angel smiled lightly.

"Fantastic bloke," the Doctor nodded, looking at Angel, "You knew him?"

"He was practically my neighbor!" she laughed, recalling the man, "We grew up together. He was always trying to get me away from the farm and just go out," she looked at the marking sadly, gently tracing the etching with her finger, "He was probably my best friend."

The Doctor eyed her curiously, a strange combination of feelings stirring within him. On one hand, he was happy that one of her friends might be alive, thrilled really, because he could see, even now, she was SO happy to think he might have survived. And that made his hearts swell to see her happy again, truly happy. He...he hadn't seen a real and true smile from her in...so long. He'd noticed this Angel was a bit more quiet and withdrawn than she used to be, but...she seemed alright now. And that was fantastic! He was also very curious because, from the way she described him, being such a long standing person in her life, he had to think that the Corsair might just be the love she had lost on Gallifrey that she'd mentioned after they helped Bracewell.

But...on the other hand…if that _was_ the case, he actually found himself feeling quite...furious and angry and sad and hurt and...he hadn't the faintest idea _why_. He knew he didn't like Angel around other men, true, but if this was the man she had lost, the man she loved, he should do everything he could to get the man back and safe and...he just...all he felt like doing was, well, something a bit too violent to say. But he shook his head, his mind refusing to entertain the thought that the Corsair, of all the Time Lords in the world, was the one Angel loved. The man didn't deserve her, not that...not that _he_ really deserved her either, even as a friend...

~oOo~

_She honestly and truly felt confident for once, finally seemed to be able to believe that she deserved him, that she was good enough for him..._

_'You're SO wrong,' she heard him in her mind, realizing he'd heard everything and was gazing at her intensely, the Other Doctor not seeming to notice, 'Angel...I'M the one who doesn't deserve YOU,' he insisted, 'I still can't believe you picked me,' he whispered, his mental voice full of honesty, 'I still can't believe you said yes to being my Mate. I...' he shook his head, reaching out to take her hands, 'Every time I look at you, or dream, or wake...I can't believe this life I have is real. That you're real. That you exist and that...' he smiled, stroking her cheek, 'That you're mine. All mine...' he let out a happy little laugh, 'I feel like the luckiest man in the Universe because I have you. My good luck charm, eh?'_

_She blushed, looking down, but he gently lifted her chin up, 'I feel the same,' she told him, moving onto her toes to press a kiss to his lips, biting her lip as she pulled away with a wide grin._

~oOo~

Angel turned to Rory and Amy, "The Corsair, he had this tattoo," she tapped the etching, "In every regeneration 'cos he just never felt comfortable without it. Always said that the rest of us should do the same, have something, a marking or a necklace or something in each regeneration, so that we could always tell who was who by it," she blinked, "Which is rather clever..." sometimes it could be difficult to tell who someone was after regeneration, speaking to someone when they were on a different incarnation sometimes was confusing if you didn't know who it was.

"I suppose," the Doctor's lips pursed, that was rather brilliant actually, not that he'd admit to that, why would he want to make the man seem more clever to Angel? He closed his eyes, shaking his head, why did he care if Angel thought someone else was more clever than him? He shouldn't, it didn't matter, really, it really didn't if he wasn't the most clever man in Angel's eyes, really, it didn't, at all, not at all.

"I think he just liked to use it as an opening to talk about himself," Angel added, he was quite a bit full of himself at times.

"Or herself, a couple of times," the Doctor spun around to go to the other side of the console, "Oh ho! She was a BAD girl," he hit a lever and the controls sparked, the box jolting.

"Whoa!" Rory grabbed onto the console, "What is happening!?"

"We're trying to leave the Universe!" Angel warned him.

"How can you leave the Universe?" Amy frowned.

"With enormous difficulty," the Doctor replied, "Right now we're burning up TARDIS rooms to give us some wally!" he hit a few buttons and knobs, "Goodbye swimming pool. Goodbye scullery! Sayonara, squash court seven…" he hit a lever and the console sparked again.

"Doctor be careful!" Angel rushed over to help him get the box going safely.

Amy and Rory shouted as they flew through the Universe, the Doctor watching on the monitor as they headed straight towards a glowing green planet. They landed with a jolt, almost falling to the floor as the TARDIS settled and they straightened.

"Ok," Amy pushed her hair from her face, "Ok, where are we?"

"Outside the Universe," the Doctor grinned, "Where we've never ever been."

"What's wrong, girl?" Angel asked, slowly stroking the rotor as the lights started to dim.

"Is that meant to be happening?" Rory asked, trying to recall it from what Angel had told him about the TARDISes. She tried to do so little by little, every so often, give him a lesson or two about the box in general and how to operate different buttons and knobs on the console.

The Doctor pressed a few buttons and things, trying to work it out, "Well the power...it's draining. Everything's draining. But it _can't_! That's…that's impossible…"

Angel's face scrunched in discomfort as the TARDIS darkened almost completely.

"What is that?"

"It's like...the TARDIS matrix, her soul is just...missing," Angel breathed, absently rubbing her hearts a moment as she looked around. It wasn't quite as bad as when they'd gotten sucked into Pete's world the first time, the TARDIS wasn't dead, not at all. In fact...she swore she could almost feel the box was still alive, that she hadn't been completely destroyed, but the old girl's soul just...wasn't there...

"Where would it go?" the Doctor wondered what all of them were.

~8~

Idris sat up with a gasp while at the same time making the sound of the TARDIS wheezing every time she breathed out. Artron Energy escaped from her open mouth as the two others watched her. She looked down, lifting her hands to see them glowing with golden Vortex energy before her head snapped to the side.

"They're here!" she whispered, scrambling to her feet and rushing off.

"Idris!" the two others called, trying to stop her.

~8~

The TARDIS doors opened and the Doctor, Amy, Rory, and Angel stepped out and looked around at the magnificent...junkyard they'd landed in.

"So what kind of trouble's your friend in?" Amy looked at Angel.

"He was in a bind, a bit of a pickle, sort of distressed," the Doctor answered instead.

"Aww," Amy nudged him, "You _can_ just say you don't know."

"That would be the day the Universe implodes," Angel joked.

"What _is_ this place?" Rory looked around, "The scrap yard at the end of the Universe?"

"Not end of, _outside_ of," the Doctor corrected, spinning around.

"How can we be outside the Universe? The Universe is...everything."

"Imagine a great bit soap bubble, with one of those tiny little bubbles on the outside."

"Ok…"

"But it's nothing like that."

Rory rolled his eyes at that.

"She's been drained completely," Angel sighed as she stroked the corner of the TARDIS, the only one of them still focused on the box as the Doctor had been more intent to look around at their surroundings, "Just look at her…"

"Wait," Amy called out as she examined a piece of junk, "So, we're in a tiny bubble Universe sticking to the side of the bigger bubble Universe?"

"Yeah…" the Doctor nodded as he looked at the TARDIS as well, "No…but if it helps, yes. This place is _full_ of Rift Energy," he reassured Angel, having scanned the area with his sonic the moment they stepped out, "The TARDIS'll probably refuel just by being here," he turned back around and stepped away from the TARDIS and Angel, scooping up a pebble, "Now this place, what do we think eh?" he tossed it away, "Gravity's almost Earth normal…" he watched it fall as Rory walked away, "Air's breathable…" and hopped in a tub, "But it smells like…"

"Armpits."

"Armpits!"

"What about all this stuff?" Rory looked around, poking a makeshift lantern, "Where did this come from?"

"Oh, there's a Rift, now and then stuff gets sucked through it," he snapped his fingers, "Not a bubble! A _plug hole_. The Universe has a plug hole and we've just fallen down it."

"Thief!" they heard someone shout in the distance, "Thief! You're my thief!" and suddenly a woman in a light blue, Victorian style dress ran at them, pointing at the Doctor, while Uncle and the older woman chased after her.

"She's dangerous!" the woman warned, "Guard yourself!"

Idris ran straight over at the Doctor and put her hands on his shoulder, "Look at you! Goodbye! No, not goodbye, what's the other one?" and then she kissed him suddenly as he struggled to get away, "No! Wait!" she pulled back, "That's not right!"

And then she slapped him, hard...

And started laughing.

"Doctor!" Amy gasped as he literally spun around from the force of the slap.

"What was THAT for!?" the Doctor rounded on the woman.

"That's how you say hello!"

He frowned, "No it's not!"

"It. Is. When. You're. Angry!" she told him, whacking him on the chest and shoulders with each word.

"Why are you angry with _me_?" he leapt back away from her to avoid her hits, "What have _I_ done?"

Before she could answer, Uncle pulled her back, away from them, "Watch out, careful, keep back from her!" the Doctor just ran a hand through his hair, unsettled as he kept his eye on Idris, "Welcome strangers, lovely, sorry about the mad person."

"I'm not mad," Idris insisted, "I'm…" she frowned, unable to speak, before catching sight of Angel, "Sister!" she actually squealed, glomping the poor confused Time Lady, "Sister! My sister! Oh I can't believe it's you!" and then proceeded to pepper Angel's face with kisses as well.

The two reached out and pulled her, struggling, away from a _very_ startled Angel.

"Your sister?" the Doctor pointed at Idris as she walked past them and looked around.

Angel could only shake her head, no, that wasn't her sister. She'd seen her sister die right in front of her, her regeneration halted by another fatal blast of a Dalek. No...whoever this woman was...it wasn't her sister. But...she couldn't help but feel a sense of...familiarity with her despite that. But who was she?!

The Doctor eyed Idris a moment, "Why am I a thief? What have I stolen?"

"Me!" she exclaimed, "You're going to steal me, you have stolen me, you are stealing me. Oh! What am I talking to YOU for?" she huffed, "I'm cross with you," so she whipped around and linked an arm through Angel's instead, talking to the girl, "Tenses are difficult aren't they?"

"I suppose?" Angel shook her head, utterly confused as to what was going on.

"Oh, we are sorry my doves," the older woman remarked as Idris stepped away from Angel, now seeming captivated with examining the color of Amy's hair, "She's off her head," and then turn to stare at Rory intently.

"I know you," Idris blinked, tilting her head at the boy.

"Do...do you?" Rory frowned, not quite sure how that was possible. Last he'd checked he'd never been to a bubble Universe plug hole thing before.

"Yes, and I like you very much!" Idris cheered, leaping forward to hug Rory tightly, moving him side to side in her rather enthusiastic hug, "My sister _adores_ you so I do too!" she beamed, pulling way, her hands on his shoulders, "And _thank you_."

Rory blinked, a bit startled at the sincerity and genuine quality in the woman's eyes and words, "For what?"

Idris smiled, "You take care of her," was all she said...

Before she spun around and moved over to a rock, leaning forward to look at the dirt caked onto it, poking it.

The older woman watched Idris for a moment before she shook her head, "They call me Auntie," she walked up and shook the Doctor's hand.

"And I'm Uncle," the man shook his hand as well, "I'm everybody's Uncle," he patted the Doctor's cheek, "Just keep back from this one," he nodded at Idris who had walked back over, "She BITES!"

"Do I?" she asked, "Excellent," and then lunged at the Doctor, pulling him to her and _biting_ his nose. Everyone started shouting as the Doctor cried out in pain, Auntie and Uncle pulling Idris back while Angel just looked on, as though she knew the woman didn't mean any serious harm to the Doctor, with a curious expression on her face…that woman…she really did seem SO familiar…

"Ow!" the Doctor stepped back, "OW!"

"Biting's excellent!" Idris remarked as the Doctor rubbed his nose, "It's like kissing only there's a winner and you deserved that you know!" her eyes narrowed at him, "Times 11!"

"For _what_?!" the Doctor shook his head, completely at a loss as to why this woman was so cross with him.

"I'm sorry," Uncle cut in with a sigh, "She's doolally."

"No, I'm _not_ doolally," Idris shook her head, "I'mmmmmm…I'mmmmm…it's on the tip of my tongue," her eyes widened, her mind springing to kissing once more, and recalling exactly _who_ her thief had kissed last, "Which reminds me!" she turned and smacked the Doctor on the back of the head, twice, "Ooh I _like_ this!" she laughed madly, "Do you like slapping?" she spun to Angel, "I like slapping, it's like the high-fives Rose taught you only _much_ more fun!"

Angel blinked, going quite still in shock, "How do you know about _Rose_?"

"I know _everything_ about you sister, about you and my thief," she shrugged, "Just like you know me. Who am I?" she asked Angel, "I'm not doolally, I'mmmmm" she sighed, huffed really, "Oh this is _frustrating_!" and looked at Angel again, "You _know_ me sister, better than anyone..."

"You know her?" the Doctor frowned, pointing between her and Idris.

"I...I don't know," Angel shook her head, starting to rub it.

Idris's eyes widened at the action, "Are you getting a headache?" before frowning, "Has the Doctor given you one _again_?! Leave it to me!" and rounded on the Doctor, starting after him, a look on her face that actually frightened him to the point where he jolted back behind Amy and Rory who held their hands out, stopping Idris's possible attack while Auntie and Uncle quickly reached out to hold her back, Angel frowning as she eyed the woman.

"No!" Auntie called, "Idris, no!"

"Oh, but now you're angry," Idris looked at the Doctor, blinking, "No, you're not. You _will_ be angry...SO angry..."

'... _the little boxes will make him angry_...'

... _they stood before Idris, in a cell, the Doctor flicking the sonic on to unlock the door, allowing her out_...

'... _yes, of course I'm dying. I don't belong in a flesh body! Could blow the casing in no time_...'

Idris tilted her head thoughtfully and glanced at Angel, "The little boxes will make him angry…"

Angel blinked, those had been the _exact_ words that had been echoing in her mind. She glanced at Idris to see her smiling secretively at her.

"Sorry, the little what?" the Doctor stepped past Amy and Rory cautiously, "Boxes?"

Idris laughed and grabbed his chin, "Your chin is hilarious!" everyone just looked at her, she really was completely _barmy_ wasn't she? She went from trying to kiss him to hit him to hug him to kill him to laughing at his _chin_? But she just looked at Rory, "It means the smell of dust after rain."

"What does?" Rory frowned.

"Petrichor."

"But I didn't ask."

"Not yet, but you will," and then she turned to Amy, "She's telling the truth, you know."

"I'm sorry?" Amy shook her head.

"You're hesitant to believe her. But she's telling the truth."

Amy's eyes widened as she cast a small, unnoticeable glance at Angel. She hadn't told the girl, but...deep down she had been a tiny, _tiny_ bit hesitant to believe _everything_ Angel had said about her and the Doctor. She could feel when Rory had gone that she was missing something, but, as Angel had mentioned, the Doctor hadn't seemed the same way…it made her question just a bit of it, a small bit, it was like she believed Angel 99.9 percent but there was just that tiny niggling doubt. She felt awful for disbelieving her friend even that small amount and, if this woman was right, Angel was telling the complete truth, which she had really suspected all along.

"No, no Idris," Auntie stepped forward, "You should have a rest."

"Rest, yes," Idris walked over towards Angel, "Good idea. I'll just see if there's an off switch," and then she fell forward, Angel catching her as she knew the woman was about to fall. Rory rushed over and helped her, gently turning to put her in the wheelbarrow behind Angel.

"Is that it?" Uncle asked, "She dead now? So sad."

"No, she's still breathing," Rory shook his head.

Uncle flinched, "Uh, Nephew," he turned to the Ood with green eyes as it silently approached them, "Take Idris where she cannot bite or hit people."

"Yes thank you," the Doctor smiled at him, grateful...when he spotted the Ood, "Oh, hello!"

"Oh, Doctor, what _is_ that!?" Amy asked as she jumped at the sight of it.

"Oh, no, it's alright, it's an Ood," the Doctor remarked, "Ood's are good," Angel frowned, not so sure about this one, "Love an Ood," he walked towards it, "Hello! Ood! Can you talk?" he looked at the communication orb in its hand, "Oh, I see, it's uh, damaged. May I?" the Ood nodded and opened the top of it, "Might just be on the wrong frequency."

"Nephew was broken when he came here," Auntie told them, "Why he was half dead. House repaired him. House repaired all of us."

"What do you mean repaired?" Angel frowned at them.

But before Auntie could answer, the Doctor put the cap back on the orb and it glowed green. Suddenly the air was filled with voices, men and women calling out for help. A distinct male voice called out over them, "If you are receiving this message, please help me. Send a signal to the High Council of the Time Lords on Gallifrey. Help! I'm still alive! I don't know where I am. I'm on some rock-like planet…"

"Turn it off," Angel begged, tears in her eyes, recognizing the Corsair's voice, and a pit formed in her stomach. If he was on the planet, he'd have been the first one to greet them, and the box wouldn't have led them here if he wasn't there. She was starting to get a very, VERY bad feeling, "Please, turn it off."

The Ood quickly shut the ball off as Rory put an arm around Angel's shoulders, concerned, "What was that?" Rory looked at the Doctor, "Was that him?" he pointed at the Ood.

"No, no," the Doctor shook his head, equally as shaken as Angel, "It's uh, picking up something else…" he looked around, disturbed, more disturbed by the amount of voices that were playing, "But that's not possible. That's…that's…" he turned to Auntie and Uncle, "Who else is here? Tell me. Show me. Show me!" he advanced on them and they backed up.

"Doctor!" Angel reached out and grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"It's just what you see," Auntie gestured at her and Uncle, "Just the four of us. And the House. Nephew, will you take Idris somewhere safe where she can't hurt nobody."

"The House, what's the House?" the Doctor asked.

Auntie grinned, "House is all around you. My sweets," Uncle jumped up and down, "You are standing on him. This is the House. This world," she leaned forward, "Would you like to meet him?"

" _Meet_ him?!" Rory exclaimed.

The Doctor held up a finger at Rory, "I'd love to."

Uncle gestured for them to follow, "This way, come. Please, come."

"What's wrong?" Amy whispered to Angel, seeing her reluctance to go, while the Doctor followed them without hesitation, "What are those voices?"

"Time Lords," Angel turned to them, "It wasn't just the Corsair," she glanced at the Doctor's retreating figure, "The Doctor thinks that, somewhere close by, there are more Time Lords."

Amy frowned, "And you don't?"

Angel bit her lip, "I'm not sure…there are, but there _aren't_ …" she sighed before turning to follow on after the Doctor, Rory and Amy casting each other an uneasy look before they went after her.

~8~

Idris sat in a cage while Nephew kept guard, lying down, "I'm…I'm…" she sat up, "Big word, sad word," and put a hand on the bars, "Why is that word so _sad_? No, will be sad," she gasped, realizing what she'd said, " _Will_ be sad," and then she blinked, tears in her eyes, "Oh sister...you'll be saddest of them all, won't you?" she closed her eyes, "My thief has made you so sad already."

~8~

Uncle led them into a room with the glowing green grate, "Come, come, come, you can see House and he can look at you…" he led the Doctor to the grate where he knelt down and looked through it.

"I see…this asteroid is sentient," he nodded.

"We walk on his back, breathe his air, eat his food…" Auntie began.

"Smell its armpits," Amy added quietly, earning a small smile from Angel.

Suddenly Auntie and Uncle stiffened and a voice that was not their own spoke through them, "And do my will," the Doctor popped up, Angel tensing, "You are most welcome travelers."

"Doctor…that voice, that's the, um, asteroid talking?"

"Yes," he nodded, "So you're like uh…" he stepped down, back from the grate, "Sea urchin," and crouched down to examine the floor, "Hard outer surface, that's the planet we're working on," and stood up, "Big squashy, oogly thing inside, that's you?"

"That is correct, Time Lord," the House replied.

"Ah! So you've met Time Lords before?"

"Many travelers have come through the Rift. Like Auntie and Uncle and Nephew. I repair them when they break."

"How?" Angel frowned, feeling like that was important, that it was...something they needed to know.

The Doctor though, just held up a finger to hold the question a moment, another one just a bit more important, "So there are Time Lords here then?"

"Not anymore," House sighed, "But there have been many TARDISes on my back in days gone by."

"Oh, well, there won't be any more after us. Me and Angel, Last Time Lords. Last TARDIS," he stepped over to Rory, Amy, and Angel.

"A pity. You're people were so kind," the Doctor walked over to Nephew as he entered the room, "Be here in safety Doctor. Rest. Feed if you will," Auntie and Uncle looked at each other, coming out of it.

"We're not actually gonna _stay_ here are we?" Rory asked. He was growing very wary of this whole place, and if he'd learned one thing from Angel it was to trust himself, trust his instincts.

"Well it seems like a friendly planet," the Doctor commented, "Literally," he looked at Auntie and Uncle, "Mind if we poke around a bit?"

"You can look all you want," Auntie smiled, "Go. Look," she hobbled over to Amy and took her hair in her mismatched hands, "House loves you."

The Doctor glanced at the hands and clapped, "Come on then gang, we're just going to…uh…see the sights," he spun around and walked out, the three following him though Angel cast a wary glance back at the grate.

~8~

Idris stood in her cell, speaking some sort of gibberish when she gasped, "What was that?" she looked to her right, "Do fish have fingers?" and then left, "Like a nine year old trying to rebuild a motor bike…" she blinked, "What am I saying? _Why_ am I saying that?" she looked ahead, "Thief? Sister?" she put her hands on the bars, "Where's my thief? Where's my sister! Sister! Thief!"

~8~

As the Doctor walked down the tunnels, Angel leading them a bit, she stopped, hearing something, "What is it?" Amy asked but Angel just put a finger to her lips and listened before giving the Doctor a look.

"So...as soon as the TARDIS is refueled we can go yeah?" Rory asked.

"No!" the Doctor turned around, "There are _Time Lords_ here, I heard them, Angel heard them, and they need us."

"You told me about your people and you told me what you did…" Amy began.

"Yes, yes, but if they're like the Corsair, they're good ones and I can save them."

"And tell them you destroyed all the others?"

"I can _explain_. Tell them why I had to," he turned and walked off.

"You want to be forgiven."

He stopped and slumped, "Don't we all?" he sighed, looking at Amy.

" _I_ forgave you," Angel told him gently, putting a hand on his shoulder, "I'm sure the others would too."

The Doctor smiled at her for that, putting his hand on hers on his shoulder and patting it in thanks. Amy took a breath and looked at them, "What do you need from me?"

The Doctor patted his coat, "My screwdriver, I left it in the TARDIS. It's in my jacket."

"You're wearing your jacket," Rory pointed out.

"My _other_ jacket."

"You have _two_ of those?"

"Ok," Amy sighed, "I'll get it but Doctor listen to me, don't get emotional ok? 'Cos it's like Angel said during the _Byzantium_ , when you're angry that's when you make mistakes."

The Doctor saluted them, "Yes boss."

Amy rolled her eyes and turned to Angel, "Keep an eye on him."

"Don't I always?" she replied with a smile.

"Call you from the TARDIS," she tossed the Doctor her phone, "Rory look after them," Rory frowned, looking like he wanted to go after her.

"Rory," Angel called, "Look after her," Rory smiled at her and ran off after Amy.

"I told you to look after them!" Amy shouted when she noticed Rory behind her as she stepped out onto the junkyard.

"They'll be fine. They're Time Lords."

Amy stopped and looked at him in the doorway of the TARDIS, "It's just what they're _called_ , it doesn't mean the Doctor actually knows what he's doing."

Rory laughed and followed her inside, "Yeah, but Angel'll make sure he's ok."

He would have stayed with Angel...if Amy hadn't been heading out alone. He didn't like leaving Angel alone, or without him, given he was the only one who knew about her pregnancy, but he didn't like Amy going anywhere alone either. Angel had the Doctor, and he knew the man would protect her, Amy would have had no one, and he didn't want her to be alone even on the short walk to the TARDIS.

He was her husband, it was his job to protect her.

He shut the door behind him as Amy walked over to the console and dialed a number for her phone, neither of them noticing the glowing green mist circling the box.

~8~

The Doctor followed Angel through the tunnels when the phone rang, "Hey," Amy greeted, "Uh, we're here, screwdriver's in your jacket yeah?"

The Doctor grinned and pulled out the sonic from his pocket as Angel glanced back at him, "Yeah, it's around somewhere. Have a good look," he turned it on.

~8~

The locks to the TARDIS bolted shut, "Did you do that?" Amy looked at Rory.

"I didn't do anything," Rory held up his hands, "Right, jacket…"

~8~

Angel walked into a room and stopped, looking around.

"Come on…" the Doctor looked around as well, "Where are you? Huh? Where are you all? Where are you?" he closed his eyes and sensed for the Time Lords, opening them when he felt Angel's warmth leave his side to see her standing before a small cupboard, staring at it but not making a move to open it. He frowned, walking over to her, looking at it, "Well they can't all be in here…" he mumbled, opening it...

Only to see a mess of about 10 boxes of light, all playing their distress calls, the same calls they'd heard on the surface.

Angel tensed, grabbing the Doctor's arm as Auntie and Uncle stepped up behind them.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed Idris ^-^ I hope you also liked who Angel is to her :) We're going to find out SO much more about Angel and quite a few things involving the TARDIS as well. And Angel will really start to have a hand in things in this episode ;) After all, SHE'S the TARDIS specialist ;) And I hope Idris was believable in her reactions to the Doctor. I really wanted her to just be all over the place with it, being thrilled to see him and be able to hug and talk to him, but then remembering exactly what he did to Angel and being furious, then being distracted by other things :) I'm really excited for the rest of this episode ^-^
> 
> We also, finally, found out who Angel's friend was on Gallifrey that was mentioned a few times earlier in the saga :) The Corsair! :)


	13. The Angel's Sister: The TARDIS

"Just admiring your Time Lord distress signal collection," the Doctor swallowed hard as he eyed the boxes, "Nice job. Brilliant job. Really thought we had some friends here…but this is what the Ood translator picked up, cries for help from the _lon_ g dead," he turned around to face Auntie and Uncle, "How many Time Lords have you lured here the way you lured us? And what happened to them all?"

"House," Auntie began, "House is kind. And he is wise…"

"House repairs you when you break!" he advanced on them angrily, more angry at them for what they'd put Angel through than how they'd managed to trick him. He'd seen it, the look on her face when she'd seen the boxes, when she'd realized what he had, that the Time Lords who had been there were all gone, that complete and utter heartsbreak, and he couldn't bear that, he couldn't stand the thought that it was on her face, it killed him to see it, and now...now all he wanted to do was hurt them as they had Angel, "Yes I know!" he pulled out his sonic and flashed them, "But how does he mend you?" he looked at Uncle, "You've got the eyes of a 20 year old."

"Thank you," he smiled.

"No, no, I mean it. Literally your eyes are 30 years younger than the rest of you," he ripped off Uncle's hat to reveal one blue, elflike ear, "Your ears don't match. Your right arm is 2 inches longer than your left. And how's your dancing?! 'Cos you got two left feet. Patchwork people. You've been repaired and patched up so often I doubt there's anything left of what used to be you," he put the sonic away and grabbed Auntie's large arm, "I had an umbrella like you once."

"Oh, now, it's been...it's been," Auntie held up her arm and Angel, who had turned to keep an eye on the Doctor, flinched, seeing the snake tattoo of the Corsair on the woman's arm, "A great arm for me this…"

The Doctor grabbed it, "Corsair…"

"He was a strapping big bloke, wasn't he Uncle?"

"Big fellow," Uncle nodded.

"I got the arm. And um, Uncle got the spine and kidneys."

Angel closed her eyes, holding back the tears, realizing her friend had been torn apart, hacked into pieces, to make parts for the two people before her. She tried to swallow, feeling the bile rise in her at the thought, no one deserved to have that fate.

"Kidneys."

"You gave us hope, you gave _me_ hope, and then you took it away," the Doctor glared at them, "That's enough to make anyone dangerous. God knows what it will do to me. Basically…RUN!" Auntie fled.

"Poor old Time Lord," Uncle started to back away, "Too late. House is too clever," and then he turned and left.

The Doctor glared after them, watching them go...when he heard a sniffle. He blinked and turned to see Angel standing there with her eyes squeezed tight, trembling as she bit her lip, trying not to cry, "Angel..." he breathed, making his way to her.

"They're gone," she whispered, a crack in her voice, "All of them, the Corsair..."

"I'm sorry," the Doctor swallowed, "I know he must have been...close to you," he shifted, not sure what to say, "To lose him again, like on Gallifrey..."

Angel shook his head, "He wasn't... _him_."

"Oh," the Doctor nodded, "Right, good," he winced, that wasn't good at all! He certainly felt it was good that the man wasn't her love, but...it wasn't good that he had _died_ , "I mean...I'm sorry."

"He died," she said, as though unable to believe it was real, trying to breathe though she felt like something was pressing on her chest, on her lungs. Her best friend, he'd been alive at some point, he'd been alive and she hadn't sensed anything...and he'd died, on this planet, alone, torn apart, chucked away like trash...she felt disgusted, horrified, and she knew he wasn't the only one House had used to mend Auntie and Uncle, there were at least 10 other boxes there, at least 10 other Time Lords had suffered the same fate, "I felt it too," she looked up at him, his hearts breaking at seeing the tears falling from her silver eyes, "I knew it, I _knew_ he was gone, but...I hoped..." she shook her head, "And I shouldn't have," she shook her head even more as though trying to get a lesson into her mind, "I _shouldn't_ have hoped...I never should..."

His eyes widened, alarmed to hear her speaking such a way, and he reached out, taking her head in his hands, cupping her cheeks as he lifted her head to look at him, "Don't say that," he told her, a desperation in his voice, "Don't _ever_."

"Why not?" she gave a defeated shrug, "What does hope do but hurt you in the end?"

That was _all_ it did, all it had ever done for her. She hoped the Doctor would remember her, and it just disappointed her and killed her each time he didn't, each time he grew farther away from her and closer to River. She hoped the baby would live and be ok, but in a way, every day it grew bigger she knew it would hurt that much more if she ever lost it. She hoped that the Corsair would be alive, and now he was gone too...what was the point in it all?

"Trust me," he whispered, feeling tears prickling his own eyes, "It hurts even more to be without hope," she looked at him, frowning when she saw him just smiling at her, "I had _no_ hope Angel, none at all, after the War. I had _nothing_. But I have it now and, looking back, that sort of existence..." he shook his head, "That was the most painful time of my life. Hope," he gently wiped her tears away with his thumbs, "Hope sustains us, hope makes us better people, hope...lights up our lives. Without hope we're just empty shells, struggling, living in darkness, but hope," he let out a breath, "I don't know what I'd be if I'd never found it again."

"Rose," she guessed, knowing the girl was his first companion after the War, she had to be the one who gave him...

"No," he shook his head, wiping her last tear, "YOU," he admitted, "You give me hope Angel, finding you...I..." his voice dropped to a whisper, "I don't _hurt_ anymore. Everyday...my life is brighter with you here, better, more hopeful...because of you."

She blinked, staring up at him, he hadn't let go of her face yet, he was just staring at her...no...into her eyes, actually SEEING her for once, with this soft smile on his face, his thumbs still stroking her cheeks though he didn't seem aware of it, "Me?" she breathed.

He nodded, letting out a small laugh, "That man I was after the War...he died the moment I met you. You make me better, Angel. Hope makes everything better, endurable," he offered her a smile, "Don't _ever_ lose it."

She sniffled just one more time, feeling her tears stop at his words, she hadn't known he still felt that way about her. The last him, even the him before, had mentioned at times that she was the light in his darkness, that she made things better, easier, calmer, more full of life and color and light. She honestly hadn't known that this him still felt that way, that he still saw the world the same way because of her. It was...nice...to know that, it...it DID give her hope once more, that...something was coming back to him or something was growing between them again. Yes, River was in the background, always there as a lingering nightmare to her, but...ever since she'd mentioned what happened with the Silence, she'd seen it in his mind, his...thoughts turning more cautious about River Song. He was still intrigued by her, yes, curious, and she knew that was dangerous for him because he could sometimes become a bit obsessive by things like that, but...none of his thoughts ever portrayed River the way he'd just described.

"Ok?" he asked, searching her eyes, feeling like he was seeing her thoughts shifting through them, seeing her calming down, seeing the hope reenter her eyes once more, which made him breathe a sigh of relief to see, the day Angel lost hope, he was sure, would be the day the Universe ended.

"Yeah," she nodded, swallowing.

"Brilliant," he smiled...

And then Amy's phone rang.

But this time, Angel was quite shocked by his reaction. He didn't leap away from her like he had a few other times, he didn't flinch back or jerk his hands as though burned, he didn't even widen his eyes or freeze as though shocked he was touching her. In fact...he just...sighed, dropping his head a moment as though annoyed that the phone had gone off before he stepped back, lowering his hands slowly to take Amy's phone from his pocket, seeming almost...reluctant that he had to move. She blinked a few times, eyeing him, that was different, though she wasn't sure if it was just the fact no one was there to see him that had made the difference possible.

"No sonic screwdriver," Amy said as soon as the Doctor answered, "Also the doors seem to have locked behind us. Rory thinks there's a perfectly innocent explanation but I think you lied to us…"

"Time Lord stuff, needed you out of the way," he replied, and really it was always better when it was just him and Angel.

"What we're not good enough for your smart new friends?"

"Doctor…" Angel called. He looked over at her to see her frowning, as though realizing something, "She said the little boxes would make you angry."

He blinked, "How could she know?"

"Doctor what are you talking about?" Amy yelled.

"Stay put, stay exactly where you are!"

"We don't have much choice…" he hung up before Amy could finish and ran out of the room, Angel leading him down the tunnels and into the room where Idris sat with her eyes closed, in the cage, the same cage she'd seen the woman in in her vision.

"How did you know about the boxes?!" he demanded, "You said they'd make me angry, how did you know?"

"Ah," Idris smiled, "It's my thief and my sister."

"Who _are_ you?!"

"Hmmm," she opened her eyes to see Angel staring at her intently, frowning, as though on the cusp of working something out, "It's about time."

"I don't understand. Who are you?"

"Do you _really_ not know me? Either of you?" she eyed Angel a moment longer, starting to smile, knowing her sister was on the verge of sensing just WHO she was, "Just because they put me in here? Well," she continued, "I don't suppose YOU would realize," she turned her gaze on the Doctor, "You don't notice a lot of things do you?" she tilted her head, "Have you not noticed how little you see anymore? Isn't that odd to you?"

She had had time to gather her thoughts while in the cage, sort through her feelings, and while she still felt extreme anger, frustration, and annoyance with her thief, she had better control over that...for the moment at least. The second he did anything to hurt her sister, she'd give him a wallop again! But right now, there was something more important to do than hit him, she would leave that to the human members of her family when they discovered the Doctor's actions, right now she needed to get through to him, she needed him to see what he was doing, what was being done to him, and the affect it was having on Angel. She had to be careful though, the moment he realized who she was, which was any second now, anything she said to push him towards Angel, to bring up what he'd forgotten, he would believe to be mad ramblings or confusion from the transfer she'd endured or her own fondness for Angel influencing her or any number of other excuses that would keep him from seeing what he'd forgotten.

He did that a lot didn't he? Come up with excuses for why something happened or what someone said or some thought or another? Oh his amnesia ran _very_ deep didn't it? Very thorough job really, to get his mind to actively push even the notion of having forgotten something away and make up lies to cover it up and keep it forgotten.

Clever, clever, clever.

"They said you were dangerous," the Doctor stated, "It's a good thing they put you in there, if you had tried to hurt Angel..."

"I would _never_!" she jumped to her feet, feeling a flash of anger course through her, "I would never ever hurt my sister, unlike YOU," she huffed.

"I wouldn't hurt her either!" the Doctor defended, feeling a similar flash of anger at her accusations that he'd ever want to hurt Angel.

"Really?" she scoffed, "Now who's being Mr. Thick Thick Thickity Thick Face from Thicktown, Thickania?! You!" she rolled her eyes, "And I wasn't talking about the _cage_ , stupid," she leaned against the bars, "In _here_ ," she put her hands on the bars, "They put ME in here."

"Doctor…" Angel began, walking forward a bit to stand before Idris, cutting off another bout of yelling, "…she's the TARDIS," she breathed, staring at Idris with wide eyes, feeling it in her bones.

"The TARDIS?" the Doctor looked at her with a frown, not believing it.

"Time and Relative Dimensions in Space," Idris recited, "Yes, that's it. Names are funny. It's me, _I'm_ the TARDIS," she smiled at Angel, "Oh, I _knew_ you would recognize me, sister. Because you're special, more special than you realize," she eyed Angel softly, "I was right to give you the power of the Vortex."

Angel blinked, a bit stunned, before realizing...the TARDIS was talking! This might be her only chance to find out why that had all happened. She knew, she'd gotten the feeling that it had been meant for her, that the Vortex had been a gift she'd always been meant to have, but...WHY? Well, she supposed there was only one way to find out, "Why did you?"

Idris reached out and took her hand, a spark of golden energy igniting between them, "You were _never_ like the other Time Lords. You thought that made you less than them, but truly it only made you _so_ _much more_. You were the only one I trusted to hold the Vortex and _not_ use it for a foul purpose," she smiled at her, "You had, and still have, such a _human soul_ , you didn't want for power. And in not wanting it, you would never abuse it."

Angel looked down a moment at that, she...hadn't really thought of it like that. The Doctor had always said the Vortex should have turned the wielder into a vengeful god, but it...hadn't. A human using it, well, she'd said so in the Vault, that Donna's humanity kept her from being consumed or corrupted by the Vortex, she hadn't realized though that perhaps she'd always been...uncorrupted. Idris was right, she hadn't wanted the power, she'd had to beg the TARDIS to take it back after facing the Beast because she DIDN'T want it, she didn't use it for trivial things, she used it to help when she could. It was...nice to know that all those things she had felt, all the inferiority with the other Time Lords, had actually...made her better for it.

Idris smiled, seeing where Angel's mind had gone, being the TARDIS she still had a psychic connection to her Pilots. She and Angel were quite similar in a way, Angel always made her companions better people, stronger people, by putting them in positions and situations that she KNEW they could handle, even if they didn't know it at the time, and in having faith in them, gave them faith in themselves as well. She did that with Angel too, she gave her things and put her in situations that Angel hadn't thought herself capable of facing, till she faced them. The Vortex was a large example of that. She just...Angel was so special, had such potential, she just wanted to see her sister thrive, something her thief seemed to have stunted at the moment.

The Doctor shook his head, "You _can't_ be the TARDIS," he still wasn't able to believe it, to get past that detail, "You're a bitey mad lady who hits people for no reason..."

"I HAD a reason," Idris cut in.

"The TARDIS is up and downy stuff in a big blue box," the Doctor continued as though she hadn't said anything.

"Yes that's me," Idris glanced at him, "A Type 40 TARDIS. I was already a museum piece when you were both young," she looked at Angel with a soft smile, moving her hand from holding Angel's to brushing a lock of hair behind the girl's ear, "And you always took such good care of me on Gallifrey when you worked to refresh me and my sisters. You spent more time repairing and restoring me than the others," she tilted her head, "Your father always asked you why you wasted your time on an old piece of junk, but you said she isn't old…

"She isn't old and she isn't junk," Angel breathed, "She's beautiful and one day she'll be a treasure."

Idris beamed, recalling that that had been the same word Angel had used to describe her when she'd first entered the TARDIS in Van Statten's museum, even then the girl had recognized her, "And you _did_ work on me. You made me beautiful again, tirelessly fixing everything about me, every single day…" she frowned a bit in memory, "Till, one day, you left me unlocked me and said goodbye. I don't even think you realize why. But, that very night, a man walked in and laid a hand on my console…" she looked up at the Doctor, "And said…"

"You were the most beautiful thing I had ever known," the Doctor whispered, staring in utter shock at the two women before him.

He had no idea Angel had been the one helping to restore the museum pieces on Gallifrey, repairing what would one day be _his_ TARDIS. It did explain though why the TARDIS seemed more fond of her than any other person, human or Time Lord, that he'd taken with him on his travels, and why the box listened to her. It seemed they were far more connected than he realized. The fact that Angel, in leaving the box unlocked that one night, one night out of all the nights she worked on it it seemed, had allowed him access to the box. If not for that...the TARDIS might not be HIS TARDIS and all his adventures, every single one, would be changed. He felt his head spinning at that revelation, right from the start...it was almost like...he and Angel were connected.

The TARDIS had, for all intents and purposes, been Angel's before it was his. He'd known there was a possibility that, given her family's profession on Gallifrey, that her ancestors at least had grown his box, raised it, adapted it, but to find out that SHE had been the one to work on it, repair it, take care of it, right before him? Well it was no wonder she knew how to fix it, what the different noises meant, the different hums, he could only imagine how many years she'd spent on that box in particular, and then he'd gone and shot all her work to hell, breaking the Chameleon Circuit on the first trip...but still, Angel, and the TARDIS, seemed to delight in fixing what he broke, and now he knew why. It was familiar to them both.

He felt his hearts beat quickly at that revelation as well, the TARDIS had connected him and Angel together before they'd even met. He wondered what that had to mean in the scope of the Universe, that they would be connected through that particular TARDIS out of all of them. What did it mean for him and Angel even? That was just...a hell of a coincidence, it wasn't like fate or some other force was trying to tell them something.

"And then you stole me," Idris continued, pulling him from his thoughts, "And I stole you."

"I borrowed you," he shook his head, focusing.

"Borrowing implies the eventual intention to return the thing that was taken. What makes you think I would ever give you or my sister back?" she wouldn't, not ever, they were a pair the Doctor and Angel, she'd seen it even before they'd been born, she'd _seen_ this coming, it was why she had...

"You're the TARDIS?" the Doctor repeated.

Idris blinked, looking at him, her thoughts back on the present, "Yes."

"MY TARDIS?!"

"I am not YOUR TARDIS," Idris rolled her eyes, "I am yours AND Angel's," she stated, "But you are most certainly my Pilots," she smiled, "Oh! We have now reached the point in the conversation where you open the lock," she let go and stood back as Angel did the same.

The Doctor glanced at Angel, hesitating to let the mad slapping woman out.

"She's seen this happen Doctor," Idris called.

"I did," Angel nodded.

He frowned, "Get behind me," he offered, not feeling comfortable letting Idris out till he knew Angel was safe, even if it was the TARDIS, she had still HIT him, he wasn't going to risk her mood changing and have her go after Angel as well.

Angel glanced at Idris who, instead of appearing annoyed with the implication that she'd hit Angel, was smiling at the Doctor's attempt to be protective. She looked at Angel and nodded, the girl moving to stand beside the Doctor more so than behind him. He pulled out his sonic and flicked it at the cage door. Idris stepped out, pausing a moment before rushing at them. The Doctor tensed...only for Idris to shove him to the side and hug Angel tightly.

"Oi!" he huffed, pouting at that, though a part of him was happy that Idris wasn't a man and hugging Angel, and he had to smile a bit when he noticed Angel smiling as she hugged the woman back. That more than made up for him nearly being thrown to the ground by a woman-TARDIS.

Idris just turned to look at him, her arm still around Angel, "Are all people like this?"

"Like what?" he frowned.

"So much bigger on the inside. I'm…" she dropped her arm and stepped away from them both, frustrated, "Oh what _is_ that word? It's so BIG, so complicated, and it's so _sad_ …"

"But why?" the Doctor shook his head, "Why pull the living soul from the TARDIS and pop in a tiny human head? What does it want you for?"

"Oh he doesn't want me," Idris walked back towards them...and sniffed Angel's hair before doing the same to the Doctor's collar.

"How do you know?" the Doctor sniffed himself, self-conscious.

"House eats TARDISes," Angel and Idris said at the same time.

"House what?" he looked between them, "What do you mean?"

"You really don't listen do you?" Idris stared at him as Angel shrugged at his question, "You never do."

"I listen all the time, thank you very much," he crossed his arms.

"Fine, you listen, but you don't HEAR people," Idris sighed, "They talk all the time but you never hear what they say. And you really should. It's important."

The Doctor frowned at that, feeling like Idris was trying to tell him something, "What is?"

"Everything," Idris answered "Everything is important, people wouldn't speak if what they had to say wasn't important," she leaned in to whisper to him, "And what my sister says is most important of all."

"I know," he told her, just as quietly, when Angel spoke...he listened, "But what do you mean by House eats TARDISes?"

"Something we heard you say," Idris stepped back, walking to Angel once more.

"When?" he followed her over.

"In the future."

"House eats TARDISes?"

"Oh there you go," Idris put her thumb on his mouth to keep him quiet, "What are fish fingers?"

"When do I say that?" he asked through his closed mouth.

"Any second," Angel smiled, feeling it coming.

"Of course!" the Doctor pulled Idris's hand off his mouth...and promptly let go of it as he started pacing, Idris looking at her hand a moment before smiling, knowing why he hadn't held onto it, "House feeds on Rift Energy and TARDISes are bursting with it and not raw…lovely and cooked, processed food. Mmm, fish fingers."

"Do fish have fingers?" Idris wondered.

"But you can't _eat_ a TARDIS. It would destroy you, unless…unless…"

"Unless the TARDIS matrix was deleted first," Angel realized.

The Doctor laughed and looked at Idris, "So it deleted you?"

"A lot of things can be deleted Doctor," she said sadly, "Not just a matrix, you've seen it, people can be, information can be," she eyed him, " _Memories_ can be," before sighing, "But House can't just delete a TARDIS consciousness, that would blow a hole in the Universe, so it pulls out the matrix, sticks it into a living receptacle and then it feeds off the remaining Artron Energy," she gasped and looked at Angel, "You were about to say all that…I don't suppose you have to now."

"I sent Amy and Rory in there!" the Doctor realized, "They'll be eaten! Amy!" he pulled out the phone and ran out of the room, "Amy! Rory!"

Angel moved to head after him...when Idris grabbed her arm, "You really _shouldn't_ run in your condition," Angel's eyes widened at that before Idris let her go, "Be careful."

Angel swallowed hard and ran out after the Doctor, a hand on her stomach. She caught up with him as he raced through the junkyard, shouting, "Get the hell out of there!" into the phone.

"Doctor, something's wrong," Amy called.

"Yeah, it's House, he's after the TARDIS. Just get out, both of you!"

"We can't! You locked the door, remember?"

"But I've unlocked it."

"You bloody well haven't!" they could see the TARDIS doors, the lights going out in the windows, "Doctor, I don't like this."

The Doctor tossed Angel the sonic as she aimed it at the TARDIS, trying to unlock it but it didn't work. They ran to the door the Doctor snapping his fingers but nothing, "Open! Open!"

"Doctor!"

"OPEN THIS DOOR!"

~8~

Amy turned to Rory, the phone going dead, "Rory, hold my hand."

~8~

"Amy!" Angel shouted as she banged on the door, trying to use the Vortex to open it, but the green glow seemed to be too powerful, "Rory!"

The TARDIS disappeared and the Doctor grabbed the phone, "Amy? Amy can you hear me?" there was nothing but static. He flipped the phone closed, "Ok, right, I don't…I really don't know what to do…" he smiled at Angel, "That's a new feeling…" before slapping himself in the head and running back to where Idris was with Angel.

~8~

"Listen," Rory turned to Amy as the TARDIS hurtled back to their Universe, "Whatever happens at least we're together. And we're in the TARDIS, so we're safe."

"You're half right," House replied, "I mean, you _are_ in the TARDIS. What a great adventure. I should have done this half a million years ago. So, Amy, Rory, why shouldn't I just kill you now?"

~8~

"It's gone," the Doctor burst back into the room.

"Eaten?" Idris looked up.

"No," Angel shook her head, "House has got control of it."

The Doctor started pacing, "But _why_?"

"It's time for us both to go Uncy," Auntie remarked as they wrapped themselves in blankets, "Together."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, go?" the Doctor turned to them, "What do you mean 'go?' Where are you going?"

"Well we're dying my love," she walked towards a chair, "It's time for Auntie and Uncle to pop off."

"I'm against it," Uncle stated.

"It's your fault, isn't it sweets? 'Cos you told House it was the last TARDIS. House can't feed on 'em if there's no more coming."

Uncle sat down, "So now he's off to your Universe to find more TARDISes."

"It won't," Angel whispered.

"Oh, it'll think of something," Auntie smiled...before keeling over. The Doctor ran over to her, scanning her with the sonic.

"Actually," Uncle stood, "I feel fine…" and then he keeled over as well.

"You're not dead!" the Doctor shouted as he jumped over to Uncle, "You can't just _die_!"

"We need to go to where I landed, Doctor, quickly," Idris stood up.

"Why?!"

"'Cos we are there in three minutes. We need to go…now!" she ran for the door, only to get a few feet when a sharp pain struck her in the side, "Ow!" she turned to him, "Roughly how long do these bodies last?"

The Doctor scanned her with the sonic, "...you're dying..."

"Yes, of course I'm dying," she snatched the sonic from him, "I don't belong in a flesh body! Could blow the casing in no time," she looked at him, "No, stop it, don't get emotional. That's what the orangey girl says. 'Anger is the shortest distance from a mistake,' my sister's brilliant. You're the Doctor…" she held out the sonic, "Focus."

"On what?! How? I'm a mad man with a box without a box!" he snatched the sonic and put it away, "I'm stuck on the plug hole at the end of the Universe in a stupid old junkyard and..."

"Oi!" Idris glared, marching up to him, "Don't. Yell. At. My. Sister!" she said, whacking him on the arm with each word, "You be nice to her!" she pointed warningly at him, "A hard concept, I know, that River Song woman is rubbing off on you in a bad way!"

"What are you talking about?" the Doctor shook his head, flabbergasted, "I'm never not-nice to Angel!"

Idris rolled her eyes, "If you were always-nice, she wouldn't have wanted to leave!"

The Doctor swallowed hard at that, glancing at Angel to see her looking away and back at Idris, "Oh," he murmured.

"Yes. Oh. Your actions have consequences, Doctor," Idris told him, "ALL your actions, no matter if you're aware of them or not, keep that in mind. You MUST keep that in mind," she added more softly, because she knew exactly what his actions would lead to, for Angel, for her future, for...for the baby.

The Doctor nodded, looking down before he turned to Idris once more...when he caught sight of the debris over her shoulder and a thought struck him, "Oh..."

"Oh what?" Angel eyed him curiously.

"We're not," he started to smile.

"Not what?"

"'Cos it's not a junkyard, don't you see?" he looked between them, "It's not a junkyard."

"You can't seem to hold a thought can you?" Idris shook her head sadly at him, "You just...brush it aside, you always do, THIS you, still..." and he didn't even seem to notice, though he DID frown at her words.

"If it's not a junkyard, what is it?" Angel asked.

"It's a TARDIS junkyard, come on!" he clapped his hands and ran past Idris, Angel following, him when he suddenly stopped and spun to face the woman-TARDIS, "Oh, sorry, uh, do you have a name?"

"700 years, finally he asks," Idris remarked, "Not as polite as Angel are you?" she tilted her head, "Or do you just not care? You don't seem to care about a lot of things you should."

"Of course I care," he huffed, indignant, though not seeming to catch what Idris was trying to say, "So what do we call you?"

"Don't you call me…'sexy?'" she blinked.

"…only when we're alone," he whispered.

"We _are_ alone."

"Angel's right there," he nodded at her.

Idris rolled her eyes at him, "Yes, and Angel calls me 'girl,' don't you?"

Angel smiled at them both, "Compromise," she walked forward and took Idris's hand, "Come on sexy girl!" Idris laughed as Angel pulled her out of the room, the Doctor smiling as he dashed off after them, his girls.

~8~

"Corridors," House murmured, "I have corridors. So much to learn about my new home. But you haven't answered my question, children."

"Er, question?" Rory looked around.

"You remember. Tell me why I shouldn't just kill you both now?"

"Well...because...Rory, why?" Amy looked over.

"Because..." Rory fished for an answer, "Killing us quickly wouldn't be any fun? And you need fun, don't you? That's what Uncle and Auntie were for, wasn't it? Someone to make suffer. I had a PE teacher just like you. You need to be entertained...and killing us quickly wouldn't be entertainment."

"So entertain me," House said, "Run!"

Amy and Rory took off, running up the steps and deeper into the TARDIS.

~8~

The Doctor scanned the junkyard, looking for something in particular, when he jumped onto a small hill overlooking a desolate wasteland, Angel and Idris coming to stand beside him, Idris between them, "Valley of half-eaten TARDISes," the Doctor said, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I'm thinking all of my true sisters are dead," Idris replied, "That they were devoured, and that we are looking at their corpses," Angel reached out and took her hand, offering silent comfort. She could empathize with seeing her sister die before her eyes, with seeing her body lying on the ground, unmoving, the soul just...gone, knowing you'd never see her again.

"Ah, sorry, no, I wasn't thinking that…"

"No," Angel sighed, "You want to try and build a working TARDIS console from bits and pieces of hundreds of different models," Angel remarked, looking at him, not really caring if he got suspicious of her reading his mind or not, that was really the only reason she knew what he was thinking. For all she knew, he could have tried to make a retractor beam of some sort and pull the TARDIS back, but right now...she just wanted to get Idris away from the hill, away from seeing all of her sisters lying there. She felt devastated just looking at it, all those TARDISes, all those beautiful creatures her family had nurtured, SHE had nurtured, dead, empty vessels, just...left there. It wasn't right and she could feel tears springing up to witness how little respect House had for any form of life. TARDISes were amazing...and now they'd been reduced to nothing but rubbish.

It was heartsbreaking.

"And you don't care that it's impossible," Idris added.

"It's not impossible," he grinned, "As long as we're alive. Rory and Amy need us. So yeah, we're gonna build a TARDIS."

Idris sighed, "Well it's a good thing you have Angel then."

"It's always a good thing to have Angel," he beamed, "My good luck charm," before he looked at them, "Why exactly is it good this time though?" he looked at the girl in question.

Angel just shook her head fondly at him, "I've been around TARDISes my whole life, Doctor," she reminded him, "And I _have_ built a working console from quite a few different models."

"Excellent!" he grinned before running down the slope, towards the debris.

Idris tilted her head, "How do you manage to contain the urge to slap him?" she asked Angel.

All she had wanted to do, it seemed every time she looked at him, was want to slap him. Slap some sense into him, slap him till the memories were knocked back into place, till he remembered Angel. It was SO hard to just talk to him, to pretend like she wasn't furious with him. She had managed to gather most of her thoughts, get everything straight, had been able to contain that urge for a while, but the longer she was around him, the more she wanted to just hit him, every time he looked at Angel without that sparkle in his eye that she knew killed Angel to have missing, she wanted to whack him. It was hard to look at him and not feel angry for all the hurt Angel had endured, all that she'd suffered from his actions.

Angel just laughed, she knew a lot of people felt that urge, "Come on," she took Idris's hand, the two of them carefully making their way down the slope after him.

~8~

Amy and Rory ran down the corridors as House's voice followed them, "So, are we having fun yet? I'm rather enjoying the sensation of having you running around inside me," Amy stopped with a cry, almost falling down a shaft, when Rory pulled her back, "I have turned off the corridor anti-gravs, so do be careful."

"Come on!" Amy grabbed Rory's hand and they made their way around the thin ledge and into another hall. She reached out and pulled Rory into the next corridor as he slipped, the two of them running off.

~8~

Idris stood, examining a piece of tech, while the Doctor tried to pull a large wall along the ground, Angel was a few feet away, kneeling in a pile of rubbish, sorting through the bits they would need, "Bond the tube directly into the tacking diverter…" Idris called over to the Doctor.

"Yes, I _have_ actually rebuilt a TARDIS before you know, I know what I'm doing," he remarked.

"You're like a nine year old trying to rebuild a motor bike in his bedroom, and you _never_ read the instructions."

"I _always_ read the instructions."

"Yes, and that's why the manual ended up in a supernova," Angel looked at him.

Idris smiled and looked at the Doctor, "There's a sign on my front door, _you_ have been walking past it for 700 years, what does it say?"

"That's not instructions!" he grumbled.

"'Police telephone," Angel recited, "Free for use of public, advice & assistance obtainable immediately, officers and cars respond to all calls…'"

Idris put a hand over her mouth and looked at the Doctor, "There's an instruction at the bottom, what does it say?"

"Pull to open," he recalled.

"Yes and what do you do?"

"I push!"

" _Every single time_ , 700 years, police box doors open _out_ the way."

The Doctor threw down the chains he was using to tug the wall and stalked over to her, "You know, I think I have earned the right to open my front doors anyway I want!"

" _Your_ front doors? Have you any idea how _childish_ that sounds?"

He turned and stalked away, much to Angel's amusement, it seemed Idris, in trying NOT to slap the Doctor, had settled for irritating him, "You are not my mother!"

"And you are not my child."

He spun around, "You know, since we're talking with mouths, not really an opportunity that comes along very often, I just want to say, you know, YOU," he pointed at her, causing her to lean back, "Have never been very reliable!"

Angel snorted at that, if only he knew.

"And _you_ have?" Idris retorted, if only he knew how many times he'd let Angel down in the last 2 years or so...

"You didn't always take me where I wanted to go," he turned and walked away.

"No," Angel agreed as she stood up and took Idris's hand, "But she always took us where we _needed_ to go."

~oOo~

_'I will never give up on you,' he swore to her, 'The adventures...they don't matter to me. The ONLY thing that matters is you and getting you better.'_

_He sighed, it was one thing he didn't understand, why the TARDIS would bring them there and not to Zog. The TARDIS loved Angel as much as he did, he knew it, he could see it in how the box seemed to interact with her. It didn't make sense that the box would bring them there instead of Zog when, he was sure, Zog would be better for her._

_'You may not always know why,' Angel murmured, which made him frown, even her mental voice had a bit of weakness in it, 'But she always takes us where we need to go,' she looked around, 'And...it's peaceful here.'_

_He glanced around again and had to admit it was rather peaceful. The air was clear and fragrant and cool, perhaps it would do her some good to be there instead, a nice calm day in the 1920s. Maybe that was just what they needed. Alien planets, he'd learned, seemed to be full of dangers, but the Earth, for the most part, if it wasn't Christmas, was a bit more calm._

~oOo~

He stopped in thought, "She did…" he smiled, "Look at us, talking!" he spun around and ran back to them, "Wouldn't it be amazing if we could always talk, even when you're stuck inside the box?"

"But you know I'm not constructed that way," Idris remarked, "I exist across all space and time and you talk and run around and bring home strays…" he waved her off as she lurched forward a bit, Angel catching her.

"You're ok?" he asked her, reaching out to put a steadying hand on her shoulder as well.

"One of the kidneys has already failed. It doesn't matter, we need to finish assembling the console."

"Using a console without a proper shell…" he whistled, "It's not going to be safe."

"This body has about 18 minutes left to live, the Universe we're in will reach absolute 0 in 3 hours. Safe is relative."

The Doctor nodded and turned back to the wall, "Then we need to get a move on eh?"

Idris placed a hand on her side and turned to resume gathering tech, kneeling by Angel's side and helping her. Angel was silent a moment before quietly asking, "Do you know what the Doctor's forgotten?" she was nearly certain Idris knew about the baby, and if she knew about that...and given her reactions to the Doctor...she might know about his amnesia too.

"Yes," she nodded.

Angel swallowed hard, having to ask despite knowing the answer might not be one she'd like, "Will he ever remember?"

Idris looked at her, a sad smile on her face, one that spoke of possibilities but nothing concrete, one that told her even the TARDIS didn't know, "If he doesn't," she whispered, " _I'll_ always be here for you. Like you were for me, sister," she smiled, "I've never been an aunt before."

Angel smiled softly at that before sighing and getting back to work.

She could only hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awww, not even the TARDIS knows if he'll remember :( 
> 
> I know a lot of you were hoping for much more Idris-slaps, but I think her extreme reactions were more from her shock of being real and her thoughts being jumbled, here she's settled a bit more, come to terms with her memories and thoughts and feelings, has more control over herself...though is still VERY much more fond of Angel ;) She seemed more collected, to me, in the actual episode when the Doctor ran in to find her in the cage :) BUT! That means we'll see her more coherent when she talks to the Doctor. She's still got a very important conversation with him coming ;)


	14. The Angel's Sister: Goodbye

Amy and Rory ran down a corridor, Amy ahead of her husband. She ran through a door which slid shut behind her, cutting her off from Rory, "NO!" he shouted, "Amy!"

Amy spun around, hearing his cries, and ran back to the door, "No!"

"Amy!" he banged on it, trying to get through.

Amy tried to pry the door open...when a tired...and very familiar...voice called her name. She turned and ran down a corridor to see Rory sitting by a closed door, "Rory?"

Rory jumped up, "Where have you _been_?!"

"I stepped through that door and it came down here."

"But you've been hours!"

"No, I haven't," she frowned, before realizing what had happened, "It's House, and it's messing with the TARDIS. Come on, back this way."

They ran and House played the same trick, closing the door in front of Rory, cutting them off again, "No!"

Amy turned around again, "No! Oh!" she whacked the door in frustration, not liking this, not liking being away from her husband and alone.

~8~

A mostly constructed TARDIS stood in the middle of the junkyard, two walls meeting in a corner, with a console missing its center. The Doctor was currently trying to find as whole a rotor as he could while Idris wandered around, picking up the last few components as Angel finished soldering a few cables to the main console. She paused though, looking over at the Time Lady when she caught sight of the girl glancing at her from the corner of her eye. She smiled and made her way over to her sister, "What's wrong?"

Angel had to smile at that as well, knowing that the woman would see through any half-truths and whatnot, she'd known her almost as long as the Doctor, "I just...I know you took us where we needed to go," she began, "I knew that right from the start but..." she bit her lip, trying to find the words to phrase her question, "Sometimes I'm not sure why we needed to go there."

Idris laughed, "Because most of the time it _wasn't_ somewhere YOU needed to go, sister."

Angel blinked, "But you said..."

Idris just reached out and took her hand, "I am an _old_ box," she said quietly, "And I have seen SO much. I saw _you_ , I saw you and the Doctor, before you were even born, shining through time. I saw you both and what you would become to each other, what you would mean to each other, how..." she faltered a moment, "How happy you would make each other. Every place I took the Doctor was because of that."

"What do the adventures have to do with that though?" Angel shook her head, confused.

Idris gave her a small smile, "You are my _sister_ , and you mean the Universe to me," Idris whispered, "Every adventure, well, most of them," she corrected herself, thinking of a few key moments where she'd gone where she'd rather not because she knew her sister needed to be there, like Kroptor, "Even from before the War, they were places _the Doctor_ needed to go, people he needed to meet, to become a man who deserved you," Angel's eyes widened at that as Idris reached out and put her hands on Angel's face, "As your sister, I will never ever think that any man is worthy of you, but as the TARDIS, as a being that can see through time, I think that every adventure brings the Doctor one step closer to being just that."

"You brought him to all those places...for ME?" Angel breathed.

"Of course," Idris blinked, speaking simply, tilting her head, "I saw your mind Angel, your thoughts, you were so frightened that you didn't deserve the Doctor, that you weren't worthy of him...really though, it was the reverse," she glanced over to see the Doctor lugging a rotor through the junkyard, "The Doctor has done many things in his life, many things that he isn't proud of, that haunt him, that trouble him, and that are...truly terrible, even before the War," she turned back to Angel, "And HE is the one that doesn't deserve _you_ , but you really DO make him a better man," she stroked Angel's cheeks comfortingly, seeing tears, but more happy tears, in her sister's eyes, "You help him make up for that, and you make him into a man the Universe will cherish. My sister," she sighed, shaking her head, "You have no idea how special you are. You...are _worth it_."

She looked at Angel gently, that girl...she saw all the potential in the world in he companions, in the Doctor's companions, in the Doctor himself, in every being in the Universe...except herself. It had been one reason for the Doctor, for her approval of him, he always made people see how remarkable they were and her sister needed to see that more than anyone. She knew, with the memory loss and that horrible watery woman, that her sister was suffering, that she was starting to regress to who she used to be, to seeing herself as not all that special at all. And she was NOT going to let that happen, she had been waiting too long to be able to communicate with her sister this way, to be able to _tell her_ how special she was, how worth it, how amazing...something she knew that River woman had done her best (and mostly succeeded) in making Angel forget.

She was determined, before her end came, to have her sister see it again. She wanted her to know why she'd taken the Doctor, besides the fact he was the only Time Lord who such an idiot that he'd steal a TARDIS, she saw the potential for a man who would make her sister infinitely happy. But he needed A LOT of work. It had taken her _centuries_ to get him to the point where he was close to being worthy of her sister, to be the man he was today. Well, not quite today, despite her best efforts...the events she'd seen coming...his amnesia, had still happened.

"You think I'm special?" Angel murmured.

"I think you're _fantastic_ ," Idris smiled, tapping Angel on the nose, making her laugh a bit and smile, knowing how much the use of the Doctor's 9th self's favored word would cheer her up.

"Thank you Idris," Angel smiled.

"You're very welcome, _sister_ ," Idris winked, before calling over her shoulder to the Doctor, "You'll need to install the time router!"

"How is this going to make it through the Rift?" the Doctor wondered as he came closer with the rather heavy rotor, lowering it into the slot, "Almost done…thrust diffuser…" Idris watched as the Doctor inspected Angel's handiwork, seeing him nodding to himself, pleased with her work, as he always was, "Retro scope…" he glanced at Angel, "Blue thingy…" beaming when he got a smile out of her for that.

"Do you ever wonder why I chose you all those years ago?" Idris asked him as they backed up to look at their handiwork, "The both of you?"

"Because I listened?" Angel guessed.

She had always been drawn to that particular TARDIS ever since she could remember. Even as a little girl, when her family would do routine inspections of the museum pieces, she had always heard a gentle hum drawing her in. Whenever she'd worked on the TARDIS, she'd talk to the old box and hums would resound back, in such ways that she was sure the box was communicating. It seemed now she was. And that night, when she'd left the door unlocked, she'd been leaving and just...stopped in the doorway, hearing a soft hum. One would have thought it was a 'goodbye' and, in a way, it was. But she'd just closed her eyes, nodded to herself, and just...left the door unlocked as she whispered goodbye. She hadn't known why she'd left it unlocked, had gotten hell from her father and the curators when the box had been found missing from the repair shop the next morning. She had been the last person to tend to the box, they had it on record, she had been the one who should have locked the door, and she had admitted she hadn't. But she hadn't known why, now though...it seemed she'd subconsciously interpreted the hum to be a request to leave the door open.

And she was so glad she had, if she hadn't...who knew what would have happened, if the Doctor would have gotten caught trying to run away, if he would have taken another box, if he would have even had the same adventures with a different box. That one decision, the end of her time with the box, had been the start of his. And he'd done so much good with the TARDIS, helped the old box see so much of the Universe, which she was pleased to know. She had been serious, the TARDIS, THIS TARDIS, was a treasure, and it didn't deserve to be locked away in a museum.

The Doctor, however, scoffed, " _I_ chose _you_. You were unlocked."

"Because Angel left me that way," Idris smiled as he turned to face them, "I wanted to see the Universe, so I asked her to leave my door open just so I could steal a Time Lord and run away," the Doctor and Angel stepped back more and walked over to her, "And you were the only one mad enough."

"Right," the Doctor looked at the console, "Perfect, look at that, what could possibly go wrong?"

...and then a piece of the console that the Doctor had stuck on popped off.

"That's fine, that always happens."

Angel sighed, "I'll fix it," and walked off towards the console, scooping up the piece and getting it back into the controls, grabbing her soldering device again.

Idris looked over, biting her lip as Angel always did, seeing the Doctor's gaze had been pulled to Angel once more, the man watching her working away at the console with a soft smile, "She's wonderful, isn't she?" she asked him.

"She's perfect," he murmured, before wincing, "I mean...I mean, she's...she's..."

"Don't," Idris cut in, frowning now at how he was reacting, " _Don't_ take it back," she turned to him, "Doctor...sometimes things slip through for a _reason_ ," she told him, reaching out to put a hand on his arm, making him look at her, "It's GOOD that you care for her, it _really_ is."

"Yes," the Doctor nodded, "I know, I...we..." he frowned, blinking, "We look out for each other..."

~oOo~

_He turned around a moment later, only to catch a flying object in his arms. Angel clung tightly to him as he hugged her back, feeling her shaking as he tightened his grip._

_"Don't you ever do that again!" she shouted, her voice muffled from burying her face in his jacket._

_He laughed and pulled back, "I'll try not to."_

_His smile turned to a frown as he took Angel's face in his hands, seeing the red in her eyes from her tears._

_"I thought I'd lost you," she whispered, "Everything is gone. I can't lose you too."_

_He swallowed hard, pulling her back into a tight hug. He'd been alone for so long, as had she, he realized. If it had been her the Reaper took…he swallowed hard, he didn't want to be alone again either. He didn't ever want to lose her, not again, not after having lost so much already._

_"We'll take care of each other," he promised, "Keep each other safe."_

~oOo~

Idris smiled, seeing where his mind had gone, seeing him REMEMBER it, "You always have," she agreed, "And you will need to even more in the future," she glanced at Angel and back to him, "Doctor, please, _listen_ to me," she added, serious, " _Don't_ trust River Song."

"Why?" he frowned, glancing between her and where Angel was working unawares, "Does...does she do something to Angel?"

Idris could feel his muscles tighten under her hold, could see his hand clenching into fists and had to smile at how his mind had immediately gone to Angel, if he was reacting this way to just the _thought_ of River doing something to Angel...he couldn't trust the woman much at all. His reaction...it gave HER hope. There was something...interfering with her sight, when it came to the Doctor and his memories, she knew what it was, it was the same thing that had made him forget in the first place, but there was nothing she could do about it till the Doctor himself remembered, _if_ he remembered. She couldn't even come up with the words to convey what had happened either, she couldn't even think of the words she'd been trying to find that entire time. This body, this human mind, was so limited, the words so jumbled and lost, she was struggling just to try and give him this warning.

"If she does, what would you do?" she asked, not giving him a yes or no answer.

The events she'd seen, the events of Lake Silencio, her sister was already tempting time by doing what she would do in the future, and the future was fragile, she _had_ to be careful about what she said. If she gave away too much...the Doctor, this Doctor, with his gaps in thoughts and altered memories, he'd fly off the handle, he'd react, he'd do something without even realizing what he was doing or why. If he killed River Song now, the woman wouldn't be there to save them in the Library.

"I'd protect Angel," he said, looking at Idris, a fire in his eyes.

"You would?"

"With my _life_ ," he said quietly, a fierce promise in his voice, "No matter what."

Idris nodded, "Good," she told him, squeezing his arm again, "Doctor...everyone's memory...is a mess," she looked at him intently, seeing him actually _listening_ to her, heeding her words, especially after the River remark, not that she had said anything to tell him River would harm Angel...but enough to make him wary of the woman the next time they should meet, "You yourself...you have memories of things you feel like you haven't done, places you never went to," she saw him looking down, thinking on that, and she knew he was recalling the memories of his, the memories she KNEW were wrong, the ones that his own mind had made up to fill the gaps that had been left in forgetting Angel. Events that had happened in his memories, but HADN'T _really_ happened, just...things that had been made up to plug up the holes, memories she knew he felt were wrong despite not knowing how, "Memories that...you remember when you look at Angel, but only... _sometimes_..." he slowly started to nod, his gaze pulling back to Angel, he'd experienced it just now, remembered something he hadn't and she knew little things slipped through, like Angel's own bonding as a Pilot that he hadn't remembered till it was brought up, "Sometimes it means that time is being rewritten and people think their memories are bad when their memories are fine," she hesitated, "But sometimes...sometimes it's _not_ time, sometimes the memories really ARE bad, sometimes...sometimes it's something _else_ affecting them," the Doctor looked at her, "Memory is a tricky thing, and our memories especially are far more precious than any others, so hold onto them Doctor," she let go of his arm, "Hold onto them as _tightly_ as you can."

The Doctor nodded, looking down again, thinking on her words. He _had_ been aware that, at times, a memory would strike him that had been...fuzzy and cleared, or had just...fallen to the back of his mind or that he hadn't even realized he'd forgotten. Sometimes they faded, but...now he was starting to think he should hold onto them. He had once told Angel that they couldn't be too important if he could forget them so easily but Idris...she was making sense, what if it _wasn't_ that they weren't important, what if it was...something else affecting them.

He didn't like that thought, at all, the idea that something was affecting his memories. He hadn't liked it at all when he'd found out about the Silence and their effect on memory, to think that they were manipulating the events around them with no one aware. And he _felt_ it, he could feel that his memories...weren't 100 percent...right.

"Can you promise me something else Doctor?" Idris asked.

"What?" he looked at her, blinking a bit as he was pulled from his thoughts.

Idris glanced at Angel again, seeing her testing the piece that had broken off, smiling as it stayed stuck and worked, "Watch over her for me," she whispered, feeling tears in her eyes to know that this would be the last time that she could be there for her sister like THIS, "Protect her, keep her safe..."

"Always," he crossed his hearts.

"Thank you," she told him, a moment before Angel turned and smiled at them, shouting, "All finished!"

"Nope, hang on, wait!" the Doctor turned and picked up three red velvet, movie theater ropes as Idris walked back to the console, holding a wire hanger, joining Angel as she quickly looked over the Time Lady's flawless work.

~8~

Amy walked forward, through the slowly darkening corridor, "Amy?" she heard a weak voice call out. She turned the corner to see an older Rory, now a very old man with a long grey beard and grey hair, curled up close to a wall.

"Oh my God," she gasped, kneeling beside him, "Rory?"

"You left me," he whispered, tears in his voice, "How could you do that? How could you leave me?"

"How long have you been here?" she stared at him, feeling tears in her eyes at the ones in his voice.

"2,000 years I waited for you," he banged his head on the wall, hard, "You did it to me again!"

"I didn't mean to. I didn't mean to. I'm sorry," he suddenly lunged at her, making her fall back with a cry. She crab-walked away from him as he scrambled after her, "Rory, what are you doing?"

"They come for me at night. _Every single night_ , they come for me and they _hurt_ me. Amy, they hurt me over and over _and over and over_..."

"Rory..."

"How could you _leave_ me? How could you _do_ that to me?!" they both stood as Rory shouted at her, she backed away, through a doorway and it closed again, leaving her alone, braced against the door as she sobbed...

~8~

Idris hung the hanger from a hook while the Doctor handed her and Angel the ropes to strap themselves in. He stood looking at the rotor, Idris on his right, Angel on his left, the girls across from each other, all of them ready, "Right," he breathed, "Ok, let's go. Follow that TARDIS!" he pushed a button as Idris caught sight of herself in the mirror before her and began pulling at her face and scrunching it up. The console powered up and sparked, "Oh, come on, there's Rift Energy everywhere, you can do it!" he punched in some codes and tried again but there was nothing, "Ok…diverting all power to thrust…let's be having ya!" he wound something but the console just _kept_ sparking, "Ah! No, no, no, no, no!"

"What's wrong?" Idris asked.

"It's not holding the charge," Angel told her.

"It can't even _start_!" he muttered, "There's no power!" he looked over to see the woman-TARDIS pulling her lip, "Will you…" and put his hand in front of the mirror, "I've got _nothing_ …"

Idris smiled, "Oh, you idiot. You have what you've always had. You've got me and my sister," she looked at Angel and held out her right hand.

Angel looked at it a moment, confused, before putting her left hand in it. She and Idris kissed one of their fingers, their mouth and eyes glowing gold with Vortex energy before they lightly pressed their fingers to the rotor, powering the device up. The rotor began to move, making the wheezing noise, jolting them as a circle of gold appeared around them and they disappeared.

~8~

Amy walked around another corner, only to stop short at the sight of 'Hate Amy' and 'Kill Amy' and 'Die Amy' scrawled onto the walls in a violent hand. She stumbled back, seeing a skeleton lying on the floor in _Rory's clothes_.

"No!" she screamed and ran forward, falling to her knees beside the body and sobbing, "No! Rory...I'm so, _so_ sorry!"

Just then Rory, a younger and VERY alive Rory, walked around the corridor behind her, "Amy?"

Amy turned at the sound of his voice and, when she looked back, the body and writing were gone. She pushed herself up, running to Rory and hugging him tightly.

"It's messing with our heads," Rory whispered in her ear as he held her, "Come on, run," he held her hand firmly as they ran off, him taking the lead.

~8~

The makeshift TARDIS followed the path of _the_ TARDIS towards their Universe, the golden energy everywhere, "Woo!" the Doctor cheered.

"I've got a lock!" Angel reported, "But we need them to lower the shields to get in."

"Can you get a message to Amy?" the Doctor turned to Idris, "The telepathic circuits are online."

"Which one's Amy?!" the woman-TARDIS yelled over the noise, "The pretty one?"

~8~

In the TARDIS, Amy and Rory were climbing up a ladder, when Rory suddenly put a hand to his head getting a sharp pain, "Ah!" he closed his eyes, seeing Idris looking back at him, a bit hazy.

"Rory!" Amy called, "What's wrong?"

"It's like...I'm getting a message…"

"Hello pretty!" Idris called.

"What the hell is _that_?"

The Doctor appeared in the corner of his vision, "Don't worry, telepathic messaging, no that's _Rory_!"

"You have to go to the old control room," Idris continued, "I'm putting the route in your head. When you get there use the purple slider on the nearest panel to lower the shields."

"Wait, is Rory the pretty one?" he heard Angel shout from somewhere he couldn't see, breathing a sigh of relief to know she was there and ok.

"Apparently," the Doctor agreed.

"Of course he is," Idris turned to him, "My sister is lovely!"

"What's THAT got to do with anything?"

Idris rolled her eyes, "Rory is her brother, he's my brother too, therefore he must be pretty!"

Angel laughed, "Excellent logic, I completely agree!"

Rory couldn't help but smile at that, especially when the Doctor appeared in the corner of his vision again, pouting.

"You have about 12 seconds before the room goes into phase with the invading matrix," Idris added, "I'll send you the passkey when you get there. Good luck."

The message ended and Rory opened his eyes, "What was that?" Amy called up.

"It was that woman. That mad woman, Angel, and the Doctor."

"The Doctor and Angel?"

"We have to keep going!" Rory told her before climbing again, only to pause.

"What is it? Another message?"

"No, I..." he shook his head, blinking, "I just realized my sister is a spaceship apparently," he laughed, continuing on, stranger things had happened, he'd been erased from time and turned into a living action figure of a Roman soldier, why wouldn't one of his sisters be a bigger-on-the-inside police telephone box that could travel in time?

~8~

"How's he gonna be able to take down the shields anyway the House is in the control room!?" the Doctor called to Idris over the noise.

"I directed him to one of the old control rooms," she replied.

"There _aren't_ any old control rooms. They were all deleted or remodeled."

"She archived them," Angel told him, she'd stumbled across one or two of them when she'd wander the TARDIS halls last year, when she had just...wanted to work on the TARDIS but the Doctor had been in the console room.

"For neatness," Idris nodded, "I've got about 30 now."

"But I've only changed the desktop, what, a dozen times?" the Doctor looked at her.

"So far yes."

"You can't archive something that hasn't happened yet!"

Angel smiled secretly with Idris, all too aware of the capabilities of the TARDIS, " _You_ can't."

~8~

Amy and Rory walked through the corridors, when Amy stopped short, the hall going dark around her, "What happened to the lights?"

Rory looked around but the lights were fine for him, "The lights are fine. It's messing with our heads again," Amy walked forward her arms out to keep from walking into something when Rory heard something, "Ok. Stay there a second."

"What is it? What?"

"Just hang on," he turned the corner.

"Don't leave me. I can hardly see, you idiot!"

"Argh!"

"Rory? Rory?!"

"It's ok, I'm fine," his voice called, just a...hint...of something off about it, "Come towards my voice."

Amy slowly walked forward, "What happened? Where are you?"

"I just banged my head. Just keep coming," Amy kept walking not able to see Rory lying unconscious on the floor, "Reach out your hand," Amy reached out and touched the tentacles of _Nephew_ as he stood before her, his eyes glowing green. Amy screamed and suddenly could see again, Rory, the real Rory, behind her.

"This way!" Rory grabbed her hand and pulled her back, "Come on, run!"

~8~

"We're going!" the Doctor whooped, "You're doing it you sexy thing!"

"See you _do_ call me that!" Idris looked at him, "Is it my name?"

Angel laughed, "If you'd like, sexy girl!"

"Wooo!" Idris cheered as she turned and put her hand on the rotor, sending one last message to Rory.

~8~

"I can see now, Rory," Amy told him as he continued to lead her through the corridors, "I can see."

"It was the Ood thing, Nephew, and it's still coming."

"I know," they stopped at a locked door, "So where is this place?"

"This is where she told me to go. She said she'd send me the pass key!" Rory grabbed his head as Idris sent him another message. He slowly started to repeat the words to Amy as Idris spoke them, "Crimson. Eleven. Delight. Petrichor."

"Petrichor?"

Rory opened his eyes and looked at her, "What do I do? Do I say it? Crimson. Eleven. Delight. Petrichor," nothing happened, "I said it."

"Petrichor. Petrichor..."

"I _said_ it!" he turned and pounded on the door.

"Petrichor. She told you what it _meant_ , the smell of wet dust, remember? So...oh...it's the _meaning_ , not the word."

"The meaning of what?"

"The TARDIS interface is telepathic. You don't say it, you think it."

Rory's eyes widened, seeing Nephew appear at the end of the hall, "It's coming."

Amy faced the door, "Quiet!" she closed her eyes, "Crimson. Eleven. Delight. The smell of dust after rain…" she scrunched her face, imagining the words as Nephew approached, "Crimson…" a red flag in the wind, "Eleven…" 11 candles on a birthday cake, "Delight…" laughing at her wedding, "The smell of dust after rain…" a raindrop falling in dirt. As she repeated the words and thoughts, Nephew moved closer, until the doors slid open and they rushed in to see themselves in the TARDIS's previous control room, "What _is_ this place?" Amy looked around as they ran up the ramp, "Another control room?"

"Shields!" Rory ran to the console, not letting himself get distracted as he looked around for the right buttons and switches, "Got it!" he laughed, he could actually recognize quite a few of the controls, which was something, he really loved those lessons Angel had given him, brilliant, brilliant woman!

~8~

"They did it!" Idris called.

"Shields are down!" Angel reported.

~8~

Amy and Rory looked around as the room started to glow green, House taking control, "How did you find this place? It's not on my internal schematics. I had hoped you two could join Nephew as my servants. But you two are nothing but trouble," the door opened and Nephew entered, "Nephew...kill them."

Amy and Rory backed away...when Rory hunched over, getting another telepathic message. Idris appeared in his mind, "We're coming through. Get out of the way or you'll be atomized."

"Where are you coming through?" he asked.

"I don't know."

"Oh, great. Thanks!"

~8~

"It's not going to hold!" Idris shouted.

"Yes it will!" Angel countered, grinning, making Idris smile to see her taking control of their flight. It was one thing to be the ship flying, it was another to be the one flying it, and if anyone could get them in there, it was Angel.

"Woo hoo!" the Doctor cheered, seeing what Angel was doing, what she always did, be amazing!

~8~

"Hold on!" Rory turned to Amy, the two of them grabbing onto a rail and Y-beam while the other console materialized on the ramp.

"Doctor!" Amy shouted, running to the Doctor and hugging him as Angel led Rory to Idris the moment he'd finished hugging her as well.

"Oh, not good," Idris leaned heavily on Angel as she moved the help her, "Not good at all," Rory ran to her other side, "How do you walk around in these things?" Angel and Rory slowly lowered her to sit down.

"We're not quite there yet, just hold on," the Doctor told her before looking at Amy and Rory, "Amy, this is…well…she's our TARDIS. Except she's a woman. She's a woman, and she's our TARDIS."

" _She's_ the TARDIS?" Amy pointed in shock.

"And she's a woman. She's a woman and she's the TARDIS."

Angel laughed, helping Idris up, "Hello," Idris smiled, "I'm…sexy girl."

"Oh…" the Doctor moaned before pointing at them, "Shut up."

"Environment has been breached," House reported, "Nephew kill them all," Amy and Rory looked around for the Ood.

"Where's Nephew?" Rory wondered.

"He was standing right where you materialized…" Amy pointed.

Angel grimaced, "He was...um...redistributed…"

"Meaning what?" Rory looked at her.

"You're breathing him," the Doctor told them as they moved to cover their mouths.

"Aw, come on…" Amy groaned.

"Another Ood we failed to save."

"Doctor, I did not expect you," House remarked.

"Well that's me all over isn't it?" he clapped his hands and moved around the console, "Lovely old unexpected me."

"The big question is, now you're here, how to dispose of you. I could play with gravity…" they all fell to the floor, struggling to get up till it stopped. Amy and the Doctor jumped to their feet while Idris fell, Angel beside her. Rory ran over, checking briefly on Angel, who nodded they were both fine, before he turned to look over Idris, "Or I could evacuate the air from this room and watch you choke," they started gasping.

"You really don't want to do that!" the Doctor managed to get out.

"Why shouldn't I just kill you now?" House let the air in.

"Because then I won't be able to help you. Listen to your engines, just listen to them," Rory put his hand on Idris's throat and looked at his watch, Angel holding her hand, "You don't have the thrust and you know. Right now I'm your only hope for getting out of your little bubble, through the Rift, and into our Universe. And our is the one with the food in it."

"Water…" Idris gasped as Angel stroked her hair, trying to comfort her.

"You just have to promise not to kill us. That's all. Just promise."

"You can't be serious!" Amy gaped.

"Very serious. I'm sure it's an entity of its word."

"Doctor!" Angel called to him, alerting him to Idris's plight.

"She's burning up, she's asking for water," Rory added.

The Doctor moved and knelt at her side as Angel continued to stroke her hair, "Just stay...just a little longer girl," she whispered.

"Not long now," the Doctor agreed, "It'll be over soon."

Idris smiled up at Angel, squeezing her hand weakly, "Always liked it when you called me girl."

She smiled back, tears in her eyes, "And I'm actually rather fond of when you call me sister."

Idris gave a gentle laugh, "Thank you."

Angel sniffled, "For what?"

"Being here, with me," Idris looked up at her, "I don't want to die alone," she squeezed Angel's hand as she swallowed hard, a tear falling, "I was there for you, and now you're here for me."

"What do you me..." Angel began, before blinking, "Oh..." she breathed, realizing what Idris was talking about.

"Oh what?" the Doctor whispered.

"When you were in the Vault," Angel turned to him, "I died...in the TARDIS."

"You weren't as alone as you thought," Idris wheezed, "I was there for you, sister, I was always, and will awlays be, there for you."

Angel looked back down at her, "Likewise," she promised, putting her other hand on Idris's hand, holding it tightly.

"You want me to give my word?" House cut in, "Easy, I promise."

"Fine, ok, I trust you," the Doctor looked back, "Just delete, oh, 30 percent of the TARDIS rooms? You'll free up thrust enough to make it through. Activate sub routine sigma 9."

"Why would you tell me this?"

He stood, "Because we want to get back to our Universe as badly as you do. And I'm nice. You've got Angel to thank for that."

"Yes, I can delete rooms…and I can also rid myself of vermin if I delete this room first. Thank you Doctor. That was very helpful. Goodbye Time Lords. Goodbye little humans. Goodbye Idris!"

There was a bright light that filled the air and they disappeared...

~8~

...to reappear in the main control room in the same positions they disappeared in, "You _could_ do that," the Doctor called, "But it won't work. Angel's brilliant with TARDISes, hardwired a fail safe, living things from rooms that are deleted are automatically deposited in the main control room. But thanks for the lift."

"We are in your Universe now, Doctor," House remarked as the Doctor walked around the console, leaving Angel and Rory with Idris, Amy standing nearby, "Why should it matter to me in which room you die?" Idris gently tugged Rory closer and whispered in his ear as Angel kept an eye on the Doctor a moment, "I can kill you just as easily here as anywhere. Fear me, I've killed _hundreds_ of Time Lords."

The Doctor swallowed, solemn, loathing himself for having to admit this, Angel's words about what he'd done to the Silence ringing in his mind, "Fear me, I've killed all of them."

"I don't understand," Rory whispered to Idris, "There isn't a forest in here," Idris just pulled him down again, Angel glancing at her and back at the Doctor.

"Yeah, you're right, you've completely won," the Doctor looked around, "Oh, you can kill us in oodles of really inventive ways," he glanced at Idris, "But before you do kill us, allow me and my friends, Amy and Rory, to congratulate you on being an absolutely worthy opponent," he pulled Amy over and started clapping with her.

"Congratulations?" Amy looked at the Doctor, confused.

He glanced at Idris as the woman closed her eyes. Angel squeezed her hand and dropped a kiss on to the woman's forehead, "Yup, you've defeated us. Me, Angel, our lovely friends here, and last but definitely not least, the TARDIS matrix herself, a living consciousness you RIPPED out of this very control room and locked up into a human body. And look at her."

"Doctor...she's not breathing," Angel reported to him, trying not to cry, Rory reaching out to take her hand, squeezing it, seeing the tears in her eyes as Idris, another sister, died in front of her, empathizing with her sorrow, recalling what he'd seen at the lake.

"Enough, that is _enough_ ," House called as Amy moved to kneel beside Angel, putting an arm around her shoulders to hug her from the side.

"No," the Doctor snapped as he walked around the console, feeling more angry when he heard Angel sniffle, seeing her face scrunch in pain, and he knew where her mind had gone, her sister, her real sister had been killed by a Dalek, died in front of her, and now, the next sister she had, a new sister, one she'd only gotten to know for an hour at most, was dying before her again, it HURT her, and for that...he wanted House to hurt as well, "It's _never_ enough. You forced the TARDIS into a body so she'd burn out safely a very long way away from this control room! A flesh body can't hold the TARDIS matrix and live. Look at her body House."

"And you think I should _mourn_ her?"

"No, I think you should be very, _very_ careful about what you let back into this control room," Idris's mouth opened and golden Vortex energy poured out, "You took her from her home! But now she's back in the box again and she's _free_!"

Light poured out of her ands streamed around the room, "No!" House called, in pain, as the light invaded, forcing him out, "Doctor! Stop this! Ow! Stop this _now_!"

"Look at my girl," Angel whispered, looking at the beautiful golden glow swarming around them, seeing it more as the TARDIS's soul being returned than House being attacked, "My beautiful sister..."

The Doctor nodded, "Look at her go! Bigger on the inside!" he watched as the gold beat back the green, "See House…"

"Make her stop!" House snapped.

"That's your problem."

"Ah!"

"Size of a planet but inside you are just so small!"

"Make it _stop_!"

Idris collapsed, dead, the light gone. Angel closed her eyes before getting up and stumbling away from Amy, falling onto the stairs as she moved to sit with her head in her hands, shaking.

"Finish him off," the Doctor called as he turned to the console, the lights fading.

"No! Don't do this! Ah! Uh! No!"

The Doctor looked up, watching as the green disappeared, the gold slowly fading, leaving the room in darkness. He closed his eyes, knowing it was over, knowing that the TARDIS was back, Idris was gone and...

"Doctor…" Angel called, her voice... _echoing_. He turned around to see Angel sitting on the steps, her eyes glowing golden before she made herself stand up, blinking, as though confused, "Are you there? It's so very dark in here."

He blinked, stunned, as he realized this wasn't _Angel_ speaking, it was _Idris_ , it was the TARDIS speaking _through_ her, "I'm here," he stepped up to her, staring up at her.

Angel/Idris looked down at him, smiling softly, "My sister is so kind, isn't she? Letting me speak through her again."

"Again?" the Doctor frowned.

"This is not the first time I have used her to speak."

~oOo~

_Angel stood before the Emperor of the Daleks, golden energy swirling around her. She blinked, frowning, tears falling from her eyes, "She is angry, her sisters are dead, her planet is destroyed, turned to dust. The Time War ends now."_

~oOo~

_"I'm thinking all of my true sisters are dead."_

~oOo~

_"Psychic."_

_"Thief."_

~oOo~

_Idris ran at him, pointing at him, "Thief! Thief! You're my thief!"_

~oOo~

The Doctor gasped gently at the memories. Angel/Idris smiled at him, seeing him make the connection, seeing him realize the other times she and her sister had been as one as they were now, "I've been looking for a word, a big, complicated word, one so sad. I found it now. My sister has helped me find it."

"What word?"

"Alive. I'm _alive_."

"Alive isn't sad."

"It's sad when it's over. I'll always be here," she lifted a hand to Angel's chest, "But this is when we talked. And now even _that_ has come to an end. There's something I didn't get to say to you."

He nodded slightly, looking down, tears in his eyes, "Goodbye."

"No," he looked at her, "I just wanted to say," she smiled tearfully, "Hello. Hello Doctor."

He let out a little laugh, "You already said that, angrily."

She sniffled, "Yes...I'm not sorry for that, you do deserve it, even if you don't know why," she blinked, "Just know...it was so very, _very_ nice to finally meet you."

"Please…" he whispered, "I don't want you to go…" despite her violence towards him, this was still the TARDIS, the box that had been there for both him and Angel, it seemed, throughout most of their lives, he knew Angel wouldn't want to lose the box now either.

Angel/Idris leaned back, closing her eyes as the gold faded from around her, a ghostly whisper of, "Take care of her…" echoed around them before Angel fell forward, the layers of her cardigan falling in front of her. The Doctor quickly caught her by the shoulders, steadying her as she blinked, getting her hearings.

"Doctor?" she looked at him with a frown at his tearful expression before realizing, "She's gone, isn't she?" tears filled her own eyes as the Doctor nodded, letting her go so he could turn to the console and brace himself on it, trying not to let Angel see him cry, knowing it would upset her even more.

Rory stepped over and hugged Angel tightly while Amy went to put an arm around the Doctor in comfort, both companions knowing their Pilots needed them.

~8~

The Doctor was sitting in the harness under the glass floor, wires hanging around him as one sparked, "How's it going under there?" Rory asked, walking down the steps as Amy knelt on the glass floor, watching, Angel sitting on the bottom step to the under-console, watching the Doctor to make sure he didn't blow up the TARDIS, knowing he needed a distraction.

Oddly enough...after her initial sorrow at realizing Idris was gone, she'd felt...at peace. Like...she knew the box was still there, that Idris was still there, that she would always be there. Like she'd promised. The Doctor though, was having a bit of trouble seeing that.

"Eh, just putting a fire wall around the matrix, almost done!" the Doctor remarked.

"Are you gonna make her talk again?" Amy asked.

"We can't," Angel shook her head, that was one thing she was sad about. Her family had spent millennia trying to work out how to get a TARDIS to talk.

"Why not?" Rory moved to sit beside her.

"Spacey wacey, isn't it?" Amy laughed a bit.

"Well, actually," the Doctor explained, "It's because the Time Lords discovered that if you take an 11th dimensional matrix and fold it into a mechanical…" Rory moved over to watch him, crossing two wires that were dangling and making them spark and the Doctor flinch, "Yes, it's spacey wacey!" he pulled his blackened goggles down.

"Sorry," Rory remarked as Angel laughed. The Doctor stood and looked at the wires, "Um, at the end she was talking, she kept repeating something, well two things, and I don't know what they meant…"

"What did she say?"

"'The only water in the forest is the river.' She said we'd need to know that some day. It doesn't makes sense, does it?"

"Not yet."

"And the other thing?" Angel called.

Rory looked at her a moment, "'Angels fall and lose it all.'"

"Is that a sort of rhyme?" Amy called, getting up, "Like a nursery rhyme? It sounds like it might be."

"'Demons run when a good man goes to war," Angel recited, "Angels fall and lose it all, when a good man goes to war,'" she looked up at them, "I think there's more but I don't remember it."

"But why say it?" Rory frowned.

Angel could only shrug when she saw Rory's expression, "Are you alright Rory?"

"No," he admitted as the Doctor turned to him, "I watched her _die_. I shouldn't let it get to me, but it still does," it was like, he knew he should have a hard time being around Angel, given he'd seen her die as well, but Angel was still there, Idris, the vessel, wasn't. Amy walked down the steps and sat down beside Angel, "I'm a _nurse_."

"Letting it get to you, you know what that's called?" the Doctor replied, "Being alive. Best thing there is. Being alive, right now, is all that counts. I need to finish," he sat back down in the harness, "2 more minutes and then we're off. The Eye of Orion's restful if you like restful, I could never really get the hang of restful. What do you think dear?" he looked up at the TARDIS.

Angel smiled, closing her eyes as she heard a hum, a rather...clear hum actually, she could almost swear she could make out a whisper in it, "I think she'd like that."

He looked over at her and smiled as Amy laughed, "Look at you three. It's always you two and her isn't it, long after the rest of us have gone. You and your box, off to see the Universe."

"You say that as if it's a bad thing," the Doctor looked at her, "But honestly it's the best thing there is," there was another large spark, "Uh, the House deleted all the bedrooms. I should probably make you two a new bedroom. You'd like that wouldn't you?"

Angel looked up as Rory and Amy whispered to each other, "Ok um," Amy turned to the Doctor, "This time...could we lose the bunk beds?" Angel shook her head, only the Doctor.

"No, bunk beds are cool!" he looked at them, "A bed _with_ a ladder! You can't beat that!" they just gave him a look, "It's your room."

Angel got up, "Come on, I'll get the TARDIS to build you one just the way you like," she nudged Rory, "She'd want her pretty brother to be comfortable," which made Rory laugh, two sisters he'd gotten since meeting Angel, a psychic and a spaceship, and he knew he had at least 2 other brothers and 2 sisters to meet, though Rose would be difficult.

"Off you pop," the Doctor encouraged as he put on his goggles.

"Doctor, do you have a room?" Rory looked back at him. Amy just pulled him up the stairs so Angel could set up a room to their specifications, leaving the Doctor to his work.

~8~

The Doctor stood at the console a short while later, Angel sitting on the jump seat, watching him as he tossed a rag down and flashed the sonic against the controls. He paused a moment before leaning against it, "Are you there? Can you hear me?"

There was nothing...until Angel answered.

"Yes," she smiled, looking up at the rotor, feeling it inside her, "Yes she is…and yes she can."

He looked over at her as she smiled at him. He grinned widely and straightened up, "Ok! The Eye of Orion or wherever we need to go," Angel got up with a laugh and pulled a lever, making the Doctor fall onto another lever for balance, but Angel just smiled and pulled another one. He laughed and ran around to set the controls while Angel turned to a keypad, tapping in a code and they were off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can I tie things in or can I tie things in lol :) Did you guys see the hint of 'Idris' speaking through Angel all the way in Series 1? ;) The TARDIS and Angel have had a MUCH stronger relationship than the Doctor ever realized :) I know there wasn't another Idris slap here, but she really got more control of herself and I think it was a sort of progression from anger to annoyance to clarity here. She needed to have an actual meaningful conversation with the Doctor, if she was still the 'mad bitey woman' he might not have listened :( But he DID! And, we'll see his thoughts on all that Idris told him in the next chapter and possibly a little Thella moment to end ;) And did you like the little 'sister bonding' between Idris and Angel, I think the box of all people would know what Angel's going through and know just what to say to really give her her hope back :)


	15. Good Night

The Doctor walked down the back stairs of the TARDIS, in formal wear, with a euphonium, whistling cheerily to himself, and why wouldn't he? Angel was smiling behind him, dressed in a black, flowing dress with a matching wrap, following him down before she moved to the console to ready them to leave. They'd just gone to a lovely musical event, had even been invited to sit in with the other musicians when two of the players mysteriously...luckily...won the lottery. He had tried to play it off as a complete coincidence, but he was fairly certain that Angel had seen through that, he was really truly terrible at lying to her, he never ever did you see. Rule 3, he didn't lie to Angel. He'd try to avoid answering, try to stretch the truth or tell a half-truth but there really wasn't any point in lying when she could tell he was.

Not that _that_ was why he didn't lie to her, because she could tell. No, he didn't lie to her because...it didn't feel right to do it. He just...he could never bring himself to look into her eyes and tell her something that wasn't true. It DID make surprises harder to do, he had to come up with creative ways to twist the truth or distract her from asking questions or beg her not to ask. Either way she'd seen though his little stuttering insistences that he had nothing to do with the lottery cards somehow finding their way into the coat pockets of those two musicians. Nothing at all.

Oh alright, it was him. Angel had just laughed when he'd admitted to it, but even if she hadn't been psychic, even if he had been able to lie to her, she'd still just know it was him. She...knew him. She knew him in a way no one ever had. He didn't know what it was, how she'd come to know him so well, whether it was her abilities or if she was just THAT observant, but she...got him. She understood him in a way that gave him chills, rather nice chills really. And he found that he rather liked it, liked knowing there was someone who knew him so well, to know all he'd done and still stand at his side. It meant the Universe to him, it gave him hope that he could still be considered a good man.

For someone like Angel to stay with him, well...he HAD to be a good man didn't he?

He shook his head, his thoughts getting off track, but this time he didn't push the thought away, more so just...continued his original thought. He'd been the one to get them into the orchestra, it was supposed to be a lovely concert and he just...he wanted Angel to have the best time ever! He'd caught her talking to the TARDIS a few times since they'd met (and lost) Idris, and while she smiled up at the rotor each time it hummed, he knew she was still devastated to lose Idris. While he'd lost the TARDIS, she'd lost a sister as well and he knew it had to be hurting her, she'd lost her real sister, she'd lost her sister in Rose, and to lose her Idris-sister...he just wanted her to smile and laugh and have a good time, so he'd taken her all over the place while Rory and Amy slept (humans!) and this last one, he'd wanted her to get the best experience out of it. So he thought, what better way to enjoy a concert than to be IN it? He'd played the euphonium, Angel the triangle that was dangling in her hand.

He'd tried to get her to play the harp, given her name he couldn't imagine an instrument that suited her more, but she'd just laughed it off and said she wasn't THAT much of an angel, to which he'd protested, citing all her most divine qualities till she'd blushed terribly at that and he'd realized what he'd done. He'd...and he laughed a bit to think on it...he'd actually slipped into a bit of Shakespeare near the end, a little snippet from 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' but it just...suited her...

~oOo~

_"Martha," William smiled at her, "Let me say goodbye to you in a new verse. A sonnet for my Dark Lady..." he scoffed, making William mock-glare at him, "I'd like to see you woo your woman."_

_He smiled at the challenge and turned to Angel, taking her hands in his, "Angel," he smiled, "'Goddess, nymph, perfect, divine," he reached out and touched her cheek, cupping it softly, "To what, my love, shall I compare thine eye? Crystal is muddy," his thumb gently moved to trace her lips, "Oh how ripe in show, thy lips, those kissing cherries, tempting grow...'" before leaning in to place a kiss upon her lips, feeling rather pleased as he felt her hearts skip a beat through her chest as he pulled her into his arms._

_He loved that, knowing he had that affect on her, knowing he was the only_ _one. He was the only one who would hold her like this, touch her, kiss her...it warmed his soul to know that. She was his, as completely as he was hers. He let out a soft breath as they parted, resting his forehead to hers, his eyes closed, a gentle smile on his face that he knew was mirrored on her face as well. He loved these little moments as much as she did, where they could just be sweet to each other, where they got so caught up they forgot there were others around them, watching, where they actually forgot there was an entire world, an entire Universe, around them._

_He opened his eyes, his smile widening as he saw her eyes flutter open as well, the warm brown eyes he loved so much staring up at him, filled with love and happiness, two emotions he was determined to see in her eyes forever. She let out a soft laugh, blushing a bit at his small speech, at his kiss, before lifting his scarred knuckles to her lips and placing her own kiss on them, making him beam._

~oOo~

He swallowed hard, his eyes closing a moment at that little... _fantasy_ , for what else could it be...and held onto it as Idris had instructed. He wasn't going to let it fade, she was right, people thought things for a reason, and...maybe his mind was trying to tell him something about Angel. He...he certainly felt _something_ for her, something... _more_...than he probably should, but...it was also like there was something keeping him from realizing exactly _what_ it was.

But maybe that had been why, instead of sputtering out apologies to Angel for all his compliments, he'd just...swallowed and smiled tentatively at her, earning a shy smile in return that set his hearts racing. He'd noticed that he tended to try to backtrack things, compliments and others, when other people were around, like with Idris, but the woman was right, he shouldn't. He always saw a flash of pain in Angel's eyes whenever he took back something nice he'd said. He didn't do that to Amy, it wasn't right to do that to Angel either, and...her smile when he didn't take it back (he'd noticed she seemed to almost wait for it now, which hurt him badly to realize) was just...blinding and made him flush scarlet as well.

He spun around as he walked, winking at Angel, before heading to the doors, "River!" he shouted, tugging a bit on his white suit jacket, more than a little uncomfortable that River had shown up.

He hadn't planned it and HAD sputtered about that to Angel when the woman had sauntered up to them after the concert, but apparently she was on a date with an android or a Nestene Duplicate or something like that, he hadn't really paid attention, and, though she had flirted with him, she hadn't been able to stay, which he'd noticed had made him breathe a bit easier to learn. He blinked, he was noticing a lot of things now that he thought about it, especially after Idris had had her small talk with him.

"We'll see you later! Tell Marilyn she's too late, she'll have to use the biplane. Take care!" he shut the doors, seeing River heading for them, she was there with a date, she didn't need a ride and...he didn't really want to give her one either. Idris had reminded him of all the things he DIDN'T know about River Song, and for _the TARDIS_ of all beings to tell him to his face, flat out, NOT to trust River...it made him cautious.

He'd been cautious of the woman but their last adventure with the Silence had...amused him, intrigued him, but Angel, bringing up to him what he'd done, bringing up her own concerns about River, it had shocked him back to those suspicions that had plagued his mind when first meeting River. He'd left quite soon after that, after he'd sorted out her Majesty and the fish who was Not-Her Majesty, unable to really feel comfortable around River without Angel there. And even now, seeing River pop up as though she knew they'd be there...it made him uncomfortable, and he'd just wanted to get Angel back to the TARDIS. She'd been having such a rough time and that night had truly put her in such a good mood that he hadn't wanted to risk River dampening it. So he'd barely let the woman get a word in whenever her gaze turned to Angel and, at the first opportunity, had excused him and Angel to go see Marilyn, and then rushed off to the TARDIS.

He smiled and nodded to Angel, who pulled a lever, sending them off into flight as he joined her back at the console.

"Do you do this every night?" a voice asked.

"Oh!" the Doctor jumped, turning to see Amy sitting on the upper stairs in her nightgown and robe.

"Hello Amy," Angel smiled at her softly, not even looking up or over her shoulder at the sudden call, which made the Doctor shake his head at that.

"Psychic," he muttered.

"Thief," she countered, moving around the console to continue.

Amy gave them a smile before noticing the Doctor hiding something behind his back, "You're trying to conceal euphonium guiltily. Has that ever been attempted before?"

"What? Oh this?" he looked down at his hands as he moved them from behind his back, "Oh yeah, it's just one of those um…euphoniums."

"Ok…so is THIS what you do at night when we're sleeping? Have extra adventures?"

"We don't usually need as much sleep as humans do," Angel told her, typing in a few commands, "And the Doctor needs to keep busy."

Amy eyed the Doctor as he nodded, the man not even questioning how she knew that, "Why?" Amy asked, "Doing what? Actually _tell_ me for once," she turned to the Doctor meaningfully, "You're my friend, my best friend, so tell me what it is you do," she waited a moment, seeing him hesitating, "Angel tells Rory," she reminded him lightly, "She tells him everything, and I don't feel right asking him to tell me what it is you two get up to, I'd...I'd rather _you_ talk to me yourself."

"I didn't think you'd be interested," the Doctor murmured.

Amy sighed, she knew she hadn't been the most warm and open woman to him lately, she had reacted very strongly to seeing the heartsbreak on Angel's face when he'd kissed River. All she'd really seen was her...sister-in-law, for lack of a better word...hurt, and that her Pilot was responsible. She'd been huffy and short and distant from the Doctor as a result, but...she hadn't been sure she'd be able to listen to him talk and not want to smack him, especially after learning that River had been a part of his last late night excursion. But...running around the TARDIS, being hunted by House and Nephew, seeing Idris die, she'd seen how hurt he had been as well and...she'd felt terrible for being so cross with him.

Rory had spoken to her at length about her anger towards the Doctor, especially when she'd asked how he did it. How did he look at the man who hurt, and just kept hurting, his sister and not want to punch him?! Rory had only said that it would hurt Angel to do that. And he'd added that he didn't believe in rushing into things, that the truth was they didn't know what had happened to the Time Lord to make him forget Angel. Yes, it could be something the man had done, his regeneration going wrong, but...what if it had nothing to do with it? They'd be attacking him for something he had no control over. If it had been something the Doctor had done, a conscious decision that he was completely aware of...he'd punch the man till the memories came back. But...they DIDN'T know, not even Angel knew and Angel was the one with a direct link to his mind. He just told her to remember that, that it might NOT be his fault and that it would be wrong to punish him for something he had no control over.

Yes, he hurt Angel, but it didn't seem to be intentional. They had seen him in situations where she'd been physically hurt, when a physical hurt might be possible. They'd seen his reaction to her being hurt, to knowing HE might have to hurt her. And they could see that was the LAST thing he ever wanted to do. If he hurt Angel on purpose...that would be different. And then he'd joked and said that, from what Angel had told him of Angel's (and his) brother Jack, he would need to be the rational one if they ever ran into the ex-Time Agent because he'd likely try to murder the Doctor before realizing it would kill Angel as well.

It had actually made a lot of sense to her, but she knew it would. Rory was her rock, like...a calm and peaceful pond to her, able to get through to her when she was angry and raging. She found it a little ironic as well...she and Rory, they were a bit like Angel and the Doctor, the Doctor could rage himself into oblivion...without Angel there to calm him down. Fire and water, that was them, it sort of made sense too why she was the Doctor's companion and Rory was Angel's, similar personalities and all.

So she'd decided...she shouldn't be mad till she knew exactly what had happened, and then she would smack the Doctor...if he deserved it. And seeing that devastation on the Doctor's face to lose Idris...she'd wanted to try and be a good companion, no, a good friend, to him, and her anger was just getting in the way. She wanted to make sure he was ok, that he and Angel would be ok.

"I'm sorry," she offered him, "I just...had a lot on my mind."

The Doctor eyed her a moment, before nodding, understanding that, "…ok," he sighed, "We just helped out a possessed orchestra at a moon base before that Angel alerted me to two impending supernovas which I then prevented, wrote a history of the Universe all in jokes that Angel thought were great, and did a bit of local work in Brixton. Lovely practices, very short staffed, Angel got employee of the month," Amy stared at him, "What's wrong?"

She just shook her head, getting up, "We're such tiny parts of your lives, aren't we?" she looked at the Doctor more as she walked down the steps, knowing all about Angel's other 'siblings' and 'family' and how she constantly kept in touch with them, but...she couldn't say the same for the Doctor, "All the friends you make just flicker in and out. You must hardly notice us," she walked over to him.

Angel glanced at Amy before quietly making her way down the steps to give them some time alone. She knew this was a Pilot/companion talk and not a Time Lord/Human one. And this was one the Doctor had to handle alone, HE was the one that had to be forced to look back at his companions at times.

"Amy, you are _enormous_ parts of my life," the Doctor told her, "And you are all I ever remember."

Angel paused, just nearing the bottom step, and took a breath, hearing that. She knew he didn't mean it in the context that he would always remember his companions and forget her, but honestly, she was truly nearing the end of her rope with it all. So much had happened, so much had changed, so much had been lost…if…if they hadn't encountered the Silence she probably would have gone to Sarah Jane like she'd offered. She…she HAD contacted Sarah Jane, just after she'd seen him kiss River, asked if she could come to stay but then…he'd _begged_ her to stay. And now…it was too late. She had to stay there, to protect them. But it was getting _so hard_ , to ignore River and the closeness she had been developing with the Doctor, to be near the man and have him look through her, to know the day was coming when she'd _have_ to leave for the baby's sake, too many questions would come up about it, how it had been conceived, who the father was, and she couldn't bear to answer them if _the Doctor_ asked. She put a hand on her stomach, absently rubbing it, before she shook her head and walked completely under the glass floor.

"Speaking of which, my life doesn't make any sense," Amy told him quietly, scared.

"I know."

"That's what I've been trying to talk to you about."

"I know, Angel told me."

"Like…when I first met you I didn't have parents. I _never_ had parents. And then you did...whatever it was you did...and rebooted the Universe and, suddenly, I have parents. And I've _always_ had parents. And I remember both lives, in my head, both of them, in my head, and at the _same time_."

"That's fine, isn't it?"

"But it _shouldn't_ be. _Why_ is it fine?"

"Rory was a Roman for 2,000 years."

"He says he hardly remembers it."

The Doctor smiled a bit, recalling how Rory had described his memories of that time, "Ahh, but sometimes you'll catch him just staring," he was trying to spare Amy's worry by telling her that. He smiled, recalling the words of a wise woman, the exact words he knew Amy needed to hear, words he knew she'd understand having...memory issues herself, "There are things Amy, everyone's memory is a mess, _life_ is a mess. Everyone's got memories of a holiday they've couldn't have been on, a party they never went to, or...or met someone for the first time and felt like...like they've known them all their lives..."

Amy frowned, watching as the Doctor trailed off, his eyes drifting down to where Angel was doing God knew what below them, crouched down by the base pole that connected the console, leaning over something so all they could see was her hair and back. She eyed him closely, watching the emotions flicker across his face, his eyes clouding over as though he were just on the cusp of remembering something when…

"Time is being rewritten all around us everyday," he shook himself out of it, feeling...disappointed that he had. He was trying, he really was, to let things come to him but...sometimes...he found himself shaking himself out of those thoughts before he could stop himself, "People think their memories are bad, but their memories are fine. The past is _really_ like that."

She eyed him a moment, "…that's ridiculous."

"Yeah, now you're starting to get it!" he clapped his hands and walked past her, "Put your hand here…"

"What is it?" she asked as the Doctor typed in a command.

"The TARDIS telepathic circuits," Angel answered as she walked up the stairs once more, having sensed the conversation had finished.

"What do I do?" Amy put her hand on a lever.

"Nothing," the Doctor grinned, "Just relax," he reached over, starting to twist knobs and pull levers, Angel moving to do the same on the other side without question, as though she knew what his plan was, "Your saddest ever memory was…" he moved to check the monitor.

"1994, a fairground," Angel answered, not even looking up from what she was doing, not even near the monitor.

The Doctor closed his mouth with a little smile, "Can you remember why?"

"No," Amy answered confidently, before frowning, "Hang on, did I…" she looked at him as he moved to lean against the console, "Did I drop an _ice cream_? That _can't_ be my saddest memory."

"Remembering ice cream is always sad."

The TARDIS quieted with a soft thump, "Did we just land?" Amy looked up, turning to Angel as the Time Lady smiled, "Where are we?"

"Do you remember what happened after you dropped the ice cream?" Angel asked as she walked around to them.

"Nothing, I cried," the Doctor gave her a look and she thought about it, "No, no…" she looked down in thought, "Hang on...there was a lady and she bought me another one."

"Oh, good for her," he nodded, glancing at Angel as their grins grew, "What did she look like?"

"She looked like she…" she started to smile, "She had a funny dress, a night dress, she had red hair," she laughed, before looking up to see the two of them at the doors, "I don't understand. Why are you doing this?" she walked away from the console, towards the stairs, "What is the point?"

"The nice lady what did she say to you?"

"Cheer up, have an ice cream."

The Doctor eyed her a moment, waiting for her to get it but smiled even when she didn't.

"Amy," Angel shook her head fondly, "Time and space, I don't think it's ever going to make sense..."

"Not to a human," the Doctor cut in, "It took Time Lords _ages_ to work it out, to make the laws, and even I have trouble with wrapping my head around it at times, not like Angel here," he winked at her, she'd always had a natural affinity with time. He turned back to Amy, "A long time ago you got the best possible advice on how to deal with that. So! I suggest…" he turned and threw open the doors of the TARDIS, "You go and give it!" he grinned, hearing the fairground noises just beyond the door.

"Ok, ok, so I," she started walking down the steps, "Ask you a big, important question about life and you're basically telling me to go and buy myself an ice cream?"

"No, Amy, I'm telling you to go and buy the three of us ice creams," he put his arm around her shoulder as she stepped between him and Angel, "I love fairgrounds."

"I hate you."

"No, you don't," he grinned and the three of them headed out, "Do you get scared on ghost trains? I get a bit scared, so is it ok if I hold your hand?"

Amy just rolled her eyes at him.

"Go on Amy," Angel called, "Ice cream vendor's just there," she nodded in the direction of a small cart where a man was scooping ice creams. Amy sighed but headed off anyway, Angel smiling after her before shaking her head and turning to the Doctor, "I'm going to go wake Rory," she told him, "I'm not about to let my companion miss out on this."

He nodded, watching her go back to the TARDIS with a small smile. The smile though, faded as the door to the box shut, becoming more thoughtful. He thought back to what he'd said to Amy, about feeling like you knew someone. He'd felt that with Angel on and off, when she would say something that struck him, or when she'd give him a look, or even when she was just sitting there in thought. He felt such a _familiarity_ with her, and it wasn't just that she seemed more familiar with him, but sometimes…sometimes he found himself thinking of her, recalling things she liked or disliked that he couldn't recall her mentioning. There were times he'd get fierce bouts of protectiveness associated with her beyond that of just a friend…

There were times where he'd say something and there would be a flash of _something_ in her eye, he almost thought it was sadness or heartbreak but that just _couldn't_ be because there was nothing to be sad about and he would never ever say something he knew would hurt her. But every time he thought he saw it, his hearts would constrict most painfully. Usually those flashes were gone before he could really look closer and see if it was really there. There were also times where they'd be in a terrible situation and the _only_ thing he could think of was either to get her out of there or hold her hand. Of course, he didn't, that would just be awkward, for her, he was sure. And the times where she'd be so sad, just so hurt over something he didn't even know, that he had to physically turn away and do something else to keep from holding her and never ever letting go. And then…then there were times where she'd smile, her eyes would light up, and she would laugh such a tinkling laugh and…his hearts would soar at the sight and all he wanted to do was just…

The doors to the TARDIS opened and Angel walked out, laughing that tinkling laugh...at _Rory_ , who was yawning, his hair sticking up from bed, pulling on a dressing gown so his wife wouldn't look so out of place. He fixed his face into a smile when Amy came over to them just as the two others joined him, accepting one of the three ice creams from Amy, the two humans sharing a cone before they all headed off into the night.

"Ooh!" the Doctor pouted, pointing at something with his cone, "Not a ghost train then," he sighed, seeing that the sign he'd thought was a ghost train was actually a ghost 'lane.' But it wasn't even really a lane either, it looked more like a boat ride, a 'tunnel of horror' the sign said, so really like a tunnel of love but for spooks instead, "Well that's disappointing."

"It could still be fun," Angel shrugged, a bit thankful that it wasn't a ghost train, she didn't know what sort of excuse she could use to get out of that one, she doubted pregnant woman were allowed on rides like that. She wasn't...thrilled to try and ride this one though either, it looked...dark and she didn't do well in the dark but...Amy and Rory were already heading for it and she didn't want the Doctor to go on alone because she knew that the Doctor would stay back and off it if it meant that she would be standing there alone. He'd give up the ride to make sure she wasn't alone and she could see, even despite being disappointed it wasn't a ghost train, he still wanted to go.

"Why not?" he laughed, heading over after the Ponds, the four of them standing in line, finishing their ice creams just in time to get on. The Ponds went first, as was polite, and the Time Lords followed on the next boat, Angel biting her lip as they headed for the dark, really dark, entrance.

She swallowed, shifting in her seat, her hands on either side of her, nearly clenching on the edge of the seat cushion as the spooky noises began and projections of ghosts soared above them...

And then she felt the Doctor place his hand on her right hand. She blinked, stiffening and looked down, vaguely able to see his pale hand in the darkness as he took hers off the cushion and turned it, allowing him access to...hold her hand.

She blinked, "You're holding my hand," she whispered to him.

"Right," he nodded, seeming to be almost wincing, "I am, I just...I...is that alright?" he looked at her, a small smile on his face as she gave him a little nod. He squeezed her hand, "You're scared," he added, "I know you don't like the dark."

She looked down at her hand again as he moved it again, to rest on his leg, putting his other hand on top of it, his thumb stroking the back of her hand, and started to smile, "Thanks," she whispered, squeezing his hand in return.

He just beamed, squeezing her hand every time he felt her jump or stiffen beside him, feeling her squeeze his hand back for it, just...happy to know he could make her feel safe and protected.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awww :) Doctor! :) He's holding onto things! He's accepting the 'fantasies' as they happen! Excited? I am :) 
> 
> I can say...I'm actually really excited for the Ganger chapters, oddly enough. They weren't my favorites to watch for this series, but writing them, with a bit of jealous Doctor appearing (I can say one 'Ganger' will have a bit of a crush on Angel ;)) and then having 2(!) Doctors competing for Angel's attention... oh boy ;)


	16. The Rebel Flesh: Solar Storms

A fortress-like stone building stood perched on an isolated island under a reddish sky, three figures in advanced hazmat suits walked down a tunnel within, "Lights!" one of the men called as the lights turned on to reveal they were three humans. Two men and one woman. They walked with purpose down to a door at the end and keyed in a code, opening it, "Lights," the older of the two men called again and the lights of the room flickered on too, "You know the drill, people, acid visors down and locked. Buzzer."

The second man, Buzzer, turned a crank that lifted a heavy lid from a large vat in the center of the room. The woman walked over, holding a device over the contents to take a reading, "Reading of 9.7," she reported.

"Sounds a bit low for unrefined," the older man commented, "How's the average?"

"The acid potency stats have definitely dropped below the mean during the last quarter."

As she spoke Buzzer climbed on top of the lip of the vat to place a pin in a hole, preventing the lid from falling on them or back onto the vat, "Better than a computer, isn't she?"

"Give over, Buzz," she playfully shoved him...only for him to fall into the vat of acid! "Buzzer! Buzz!"

The older man sighed, not seeming alarmed at all that the man had fallen into a pit of _acid_ , "Oh, great. Nice going, twinkle toes."

"I shouldn't have swung at him," the woman shook her head, "Sorry, Buzz. My bad."

"No, you're alright," Buzzer waved her off, even HE didn't seem alarmed that he was floating in a liquid that was slowly eating at him, "Jimmy..."

"Well, no point carrying you back legless," Jimmy, the older man, replied, "Sorry, Buzzer, you're dead."

"Oh, this is a right pain in the ar…" Buzzer trailed off, wincing, "Heart's gone now," he sighed, just...floating in the acid while the woman smacked the side of the device as it warbled, still continuing about her work.

"Look, we'd best get off," Jimmy turned to her, "Got to write this one up for the boss. Those suits cost a bomb. If I miss my boy's birthday, filling out forms, I'll kill you again," he warned Buzzer when he and the woman turned to walk back to the door as Buzzer raised a dissolving hand to wave them goodbye, "Lights!" the lights went out and they left the room.

They headed back down the tunnel, completely nonchalant with the fact that Buzzer was disintegrating slowly in a vat of acid, the woman focusing on the scanner instead, "I'm looking at these readings, Jimmy, and the potency stats are _way_ too low. We may have to take that read again. This thing is still jamming up on me."

At the other end of the tunnel... _Buzzer_ was waiting for them, though not in the hazmat suit, just in a pair of work pants and a t-shirt, "So I think we'd better talk about what just happened back there. I could get compensation. I've seen the Hello ads. 'Had an accident in the workplace?' Yeah, I have, as it goes. I've _melted_."

"Let it go," Jimmy rolled his eyes.

"Look," Buzzer sighed, "Just remember, when you're doing your report, it wasn't my fault, she took a swing at me."

"I never touched you," she defended jokingly, "You got two left feet, Buzzer."

"I haven't got two left feet. Already arms, neck, head, the chin," he whistled, "This body cost money, love."

"Not as much as that acid suit," Jimmy remarked.

"Oh, lighten up. It's not like anyone was _hurt_."

~8~

Meanwhile, the other Buzzer melted away in the pool, his mouth open in a silent scream as his eyes, looking on with fear, melted last.

~8~

Muse's 'Supermassive Black Hole' played over the speakers of the TARDIS as Amy and Rory played darts near the doors. The Doctor stood at the console, readying to run yet another scan on Amy, while Angel amused herself with watching the humans at their game from the railing, not seeing the Doctor casting glances at her from behind. Rory threw a dart but just under the wire.

"46," Amy grinned, "Rubbishy rubbishy rubbish."

"Hello, it's a double top," Rory argued.

"Wrong side of the wire, mister."

"You're…red."

Amy laughed, "No, I'm not. Stop trying to put me off."

"Oh, he'll _never_ put you off Amy," Angel laughed, walking over and linking her arms with the ginger as she looked at the board, Amy was clearly doing _far_ better than Rory, "Will you teach me Amy?"

Amy glanced at her, all of them unaware of the Doctor looking over from the monitor as it read Amy's pregnancy scan, _still_ reading positive/negative, and laughed, "You want to learn?"

Angel nodded, "I like it when the companions teach me something," she told her, before ticking off her fingers, "Rose taught me high-fives, Martha the pinky swear, Donna how to make snow angels, would you teach me darts?" she always saw Amy and Rory playing it, and really...maybe it would help with her hand-eye coordination.

"Of course!" Amy cheered, it wasn't every day you got to teach a TIME LORD how to do something, "You stand here," she moved Angel before the board, completely willing to give up her chance to win to show Angel how to throw, though she knew Rory would let her do it over if Angel mucked it up completely, "And take this..." she handed Angel the dart...

Only for the Doctor to come rushing down, his eyes wide, "No! No, no, no, no, no," and snatched the dart from her hand, making them stare at him, "Um, it's...it's sharp," he tossed it over his shoulder.

He couldn't help it, it was...the dart WAS sharp, it might prick Angel's finger!

...alright, he knew that was ridiculous, that Angel would be fine but...he found himself being a bit...extreme lately when it came to her. He didn't know why but...it was like his senses and instincts were in overdrive. Anything, any little thing, that might hurt her or scare her or upset her...well, felt his 'wrath.' He knew it irritated the humans, confused Angel to no end, it confused him too but...he _couldn't help_ it. It just happened. And it was getting worse, that and the headache he kept feeling.

It was like there was something big, something huge, bigger even than the TARDIS, stuffed in his head, sounding warning bells at him, but he didn't know what. He couldn't hear them, only feel them. And it had something to do with Angel, he knew. It was like...he knew something, or he _ought_ to know something, but he just...didn't and whatever it was, it was making him twice as protective of her as normal.

Which was odd because he should probably be worrying about Amy more since the human was pregnant.

Angel just shook her head at him though, "Go on Amy," she stepped back, gesturing at the dart the Doctor had chucked away, "Show Rory why girls are better at everything then."

The Doctor nodded at that, seeing that Angel wasn't going to go anywhere near the evil pointy dart again, and headed back to the console to shut the scan off, he'd left it running and it wouldn't do for Rory to see that scan, or Amy either.

"Don't mind if I do," Amy smirked at her, scooping up the dart before stepping back, taking careful aim...

"Who wants fish 'n' chips?!" the Doctor called suddenly, turning off the music when a blip and a map appeared on the monitor, a trace being picked up. Rory turned and raised his hand, "I'll drop you both off. Take your time. Don't rush."

"Uh, and you?" Rory looked at him.

"Angel and I have things to do, things involving...other things."

"What things?" Angel frowned, walking up the steps towards the console, not sure what things he was talking about, even his thoughts were trying not to think of them.

"The things…the ones I told you about the other day."

"And again, what things?"

"Well, we'll stay with you then," Rory nodded, walking up the stairs after Angel with Amy, "We'll do the other things."

Angel smiled at her companion, he seemed to be taking to the adventures much more, willing to head out and explore. He'd grown _so much_ from the shy nurse desperately trying to impress his girlfriend and into this strong man who was confident not only in himself but in how impressive he truly was. She was so _proud_ of him. He really was a remarkable man, Remarkable Rory, the same as Magnificent Mickey, her companions, the best ones ever. And she knew Rory wasn't finished yet, there was still SO much left to come for him, he wasn't done growing, not by a long shot, neither had Mickey. And she didn't think they'd ever stop.

Her companions were a lot like a TARDIS, they were infinite in how brilliant they were. Some people could grow only to a point before they just...stopped, and were those people forever more. But her companions, they just _kept_ growing, kept learning, kept getting stronger. Even now, she knew Mickey was still growing, knowing she had sparked his growth was all she needed. And now, to really get to see Rory grow in a way she hadn't with Mickey, it was just wonderful. But…she couldn't help the pit in her stomach though at the thought that this new found courage and confidence would be needed, and sooner than Rory probably realized.

"Nope," the Doctor shook his head.

"No," Rory countered, firm, "Whatever you're up to, you're taking Angel, and I would like to be a part of my Pilot's adventures."

"I agree," Angel nodded, turning to the Doctor who was pouting that she was taking Rory's side, "I want Amy and Rory to come, that why you take on companions isn't it? To show them adventure? They can't do that when you go off on your own."

She didn't really know why he didn't want Amy or Rory to go, it wasn't like he was tired of them, he never tired of his companions, he'd keep them with him forever if he could, and it hadn't even been half a year, hardly any time at all really when it came to time travel. It was one thing to go to a party or do some local work here and there without the companions, boring really, nothing that they should lose sleep over, but she could tell this would be a real...experience...and she wanted them there, she felt like...they'd learn a lot from what was coming.

Just then, a klaxon blared and the TARDIS began to buck. Rory grabbed a railing to keep balance while Angel and Amy grabbed the console, the Doctor trying to get to the controls as well.

"It's a Solar Tsunami!" Angel called, pulling the monitor over to her.

The Doctor reached out and swung it over to his side, "Came directly from your sun. A tidal wave of radiation. Big, big, big!" the TARDIS jolted as it was thrown about by the storm.

"Oh, Doctor, my tummy's going funny," Rory remarked with a groan.

"The gyros are dissipated," Angel swung the monitor back, "Target-tracking is off-line."

With a grunt the Doctor threw a lever that did...absolutely nothing, "Assume the position!" he shouted. Amy ran to sit on the jump seat, her hands over her head as Rory knelt on the floor, covering his head.

"Oh honestly," Angel rolled her eyes at the Doctor and leaned more on the console, the layers of her sweater jacket falling over her sides, hiding her stomach as she did it, and started stroking the rotor, "Come on Sissy," she whispered to the TARDIS. Ever since the incident with Idris she'd gone between calling the TARDIS 'girl' and an affectionated version of 'sister,' which the TARDIS seemed to LOVE, "You can do it, get us out."

A moment later the TARDIS stopped jolting, flying herself out of the tsunami and to safety, making Angel beam.

"Brilliant girl!"

Amy and Rory looked up, panting, while the Doctor popped up, pulling a lever to land the box, "Textbook landing," he grinned as the TARDIS stilled completely with a small thump.

"Remind me never to buy that book," Angel remarked.

~8~

The doors to the TARDIS opened and the Doctor stepped out to find an island with a weathervane at the top of a spire on a castle. Angel, Amy, and Rory stepped out after and looked around. It was a lovely area, if one looked past the sort of earthquake damage, green grass, a large lovely monastery, the sun peeking through the clouds.

"Behold!" the Doctor looked around, "A cockerel. Love a cockerel. And, underneath, a monastery, 13th-century."

"Oh, we've gone all medieval," Amy eyed the castle.

"I'm not sure about that…" Rory remarked.

"Really? Medieval expert, are you?"

"He's right though," Angel agreed, "It's not the medieval era."

"I can hear Dusty Springfield," Rory laughed, pointing it out to Amy. And, indeed, in the background soft music could be heard, 'You Don't Have to Say you Love Me.'

Angel frowned as she looked up at the sky before absently walking towards a stairway to the courtyard.

The Doctor followed but stopped short, spotting a hole in the ground with an exposed pipe running through it, "These fissures are new. The Solar Tsunami sent out a huge wave of gamma particles. This was caused by a magnetic quake that occurred just before the wave hit."

"Well, the monastery's standing," Amy looked at it.

The Doctor pulled a snow globe from his pocket and shook it, "Yeah, for now," he studied the globe for a moment and put it away.

"Doctor, look," Rory pointed to the pipe where the words 'Danger Corrosive' was written across it.

"Ah, it's a supply pipe," he scanned it with his sonic, "Ceramic inner lining. Something corrosive. They're pumping something nasty off this island, to the mainland."

"Acid," Angel murmured, having come to join them around the fissure, staring at the pipe with a frown.

Rory stiffened at that bit of information, shifting as he tried to play it off, to not look at Angel, instead saying, "My mum's a massive fan of Dusty Springfield."

"Who isn't?" the Doctor stood, "Right, let's go. Satisfy our rabid curiosity!"

Angel shook her head and continued on, the Doctor moving in the lead now as Amy jogged to catch up to him, Rory hanging back with Angel, "Angel..." he began, "I think you should go back to the TARDIS."

Angel glanced at him, "I can't."

He reached out and gently took her arm, stopping her a moment, "There's ACID here," he reminded her of what she'd JUST said, "And if it's being pumped all around the island and those pipes were damaged in the quake...what if something happens," he dropped his voice so Amy and the Doctor wouldn't hear, "What if you're standing right next to it and one ruptures?"

Angel smiled at his concern, reaching out to touch his cheek, "That's why I have to stay," she told him, just as quietly, "What if a pipe ruptures...and YOU'RE right next to it, or Amy is, or the Doctor," she sighed, shaking her head, "I should be able to sense it, I can pull you away."

Rory frowned, reaching up to take her hand from his cheek, holding it, "I don't like this."

"That's how I tend to feel on at least half the things the Doctor gets into," she nudged him.

He sighed, but turned, tucking her hand into his arm as he walked with her after Amy and the Doctor. He knew she was right, she wouldn't ever forgive herself if she went back to the TARDIS and stayed safe while they were in danger. And, he supposed, it was better to keep her with him where he could help protect her in return, not that he thought she needed much of that anymore. The Doctor was a bit...obsessed with her safety. And the strangest thing was...he'd actually seen that sort of reaction in men before, in new fathers, how overly cautious they were, how protective of their wives, he'd even seen it in men when their wives were pregnant too, but...the Doctor really was oblivious, he was pretty sure the man hadn't noticed Angel was pregnant yet.

Which was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing in that, the longer he didn't notice, the longer Angel could stay with him and Amy on the TARDIS. But a curse in that...the longer he didn't notice the more he knew it hurt Angel to see. Something had to be terribly distracting for the Doctor to not notice Angel's condition, he was starting to consider sitting the man down and talking to him...and then he winced, his mind jumping to him giving the Doctor 'The Talk' and shook his head, no, probably best to wait till the baby was born in that case. But then he went back...if he DID talk to the Doctor now (or soon at least) then...there was a chance the Doctor might be able to work out some way to save the baby. He doubted he, as a human, knew much about Time Lord pregnancies and babies and biology, all he really knew was they had two hearts and that aspirin could kill them and that they could regenerate. But the Doctor...Angel had told him that the Doctor HAD been a father before, and not just that Jenny girl Angel had talked to him about, so the man HAD to know what to do for the babies.

He sighed, his head was starting to hurt thinking about it. He was so torn! He wanted to protect Angel, to see her happy, to be able to help his little niece survive and see her grow up with her loving parents...but he also didn't want to betray Angel's trust, his own medical code of confidentiality. He just...didn't know what to do and he knew he had to do something, soon.

They caught up to Amy and the Doctor as they reached a courtyard, the surrounding walls and some parts of the castle nearly in ruins but the largest portion looked habitable, "So, where are these Dusty Springfield-loving monks, then?" Amy was asking.

The Doctor scanned the area with the sonic, "I think we're here," he muttered to himself, "This is it."

This was the place where a similar signal that he'd been trying to work out was coming from. Not exact, but...close. Close enough to tell him what was going on!

"Doctor, what are you talking about?" Rory looked at him, "We've never been here before."

Angel climbed another set of wooden steps and looked through a doorway, frowning at something they couldn't see.

"We came here by accident," Amy agreed.

"'Accident?'" the Doctor nearly scoffed, "Yes, I know. Accident."

Rory reached out to touch another pipe that was running along the stairs when Angel grabbed his hand, "Don't," she warned him, eyeing the pipe, "It's acid too."

The Doctor pulled out his sonic and scanned the pipe as well, nodding, "They're definitely pumping acid off this island. Spot on as always," he winked at Angel...before looking down at her hand...that was STILL holding Rory's, and frowned, looking back up at her, then Rory, then her, then their hands, and settled on the pipe, "That's old stuff. Fresh acid? You wouldn't have a finger!" he turned on his heel and...well, stalked off really, practically stomped if Amy had to describe it.

The ginger woman just smiled and shook her head at him, he was so obvious that he was putout that Angel had held Rory's hand for a bit, it didn't bother HER in the slightest. Angel was practically her sister-in-law and the Time Lady acted very much like she imagined Rory's older sister would, if Rory had had a sister. She was almost like a sister to her as well. But the Doctor, sometimes she got the feeling that he couldn't see Rory, the brother, but only Rory, the man, and got jealous over him. She probably would have too if she wasn't completely aware that Rory loved her deeply and only her in that way. Rory and Angel WERE very close, as close as she was to the Doctor, and that was fine. She knew there was nothing there like that...and it was infinitely amusing to see the Doctor huffing about because Rory hugged Angel or complimented Angel or even smiled at her.

The Doctor returned rather quickly, running back to them with a wide grin on his face when he saw Angel let go of Rory's hand as she looked away from Rory and to HIM...probably because of the alarms blaring behind him. Which was fine, alarms were fine, especially ones that pulled Angel's attention to him.

"Intruder alert," a computerized voice announced, "Intruder alert."

"Doctor..." Angel frowned, looking past him, back the way he'd come, "I think...there are people coming. Almost."

"Almost coming?" he looked at her, growing suddenly serious, intent, focusing on her which made Amy smirk to see, he really was just SO gone about the Time Lady wasn't she? Lately if the girl so much as opened her mouth to speak he whirled around to give her his full attention.

Angel shook her head, "No...not almost coming..." she blinked, "Almost people."

The Doctor nodded and headed off, taking the lead as Angel followed, pulling out his sonic, on the ready.

"I think we should probably go," Rory called as Amy followed them. He had no problem going out on adventures…when he knew what was going on, but when the Doctor kept things from them, when not even Angel knew what he was keeping, and she would have told him if she knew, THAT was when things got clinchy.

"Come on!" Amy walked up the stairs.

"I'm telling you, when something runs towards you, it's _never_ for a nice reason."

Amy just rolled her eyes and moved back to grab him by the arm dragging him along, "Angel runs at you all the time," she reminded him.

"Yes, but to hug me," Rory countered, Amy just shot him a look as if to say 'see? THAT's for a nice reason,' and he rolled his eyes, "I don't think whatever's in there is going to want to hug us Amy."

"Oh are you psychic now too?" she joked, moving to link her arm through his.

He smiled and shrugged, not taking that as an insult but more of a joke he knew it was meant to be, "Well, maybe it runs in the family," he laughed, "I mean, think about it, two of my 'brothers' are immortal and I've died and come back how many times?" he nodded to himself, "And two of my sisters...well, three of my four sisters... _are_ psychic you know."

Amy had to nod to that, while Rose wasn't psychic, there still was Angel, Idris, and that Donna woman she was DYING to meet! She wasn't sure if Donna was _really_ psychic, but Rory had mentioned some sort of meta-thingy that Angel had a hand in...that also somehow involved the Doctor's actual hand...that had given the other woman a tiny, _tiny_ bit of intuition, which was enough of a psychic for them.

~8~

Angel rushed into a room, feeling a strong pull to it, the Doctor, Amy, and Rory having followed her the moment she took off to see human shaped harnesses set up in the window alcoves, four of the five occupied by people in orange jumpsuits, "What are all these harnesses for?" Amy asked.

Angel just looked at one person, an older man, lying there with his head slightly to the side and walked over to him, reaching out to put a hand on his, staring up at him...of the people lying there...she got the feeling he was the best of them.

"Uh, the almost people?" Rory suggested.

"What are they, prisoners? Or are they meditating, or what?"

"Well, at the moment, they fall into the 'or what' category," the Doctor remarked.

"Halt and remain calm," the computer ordered, the alarms still going off.

"Well, we've halted. How are we all doing on the 'calm' front?"

Just then Jimmy, Buzzer, and the girl ran into the room, Buzzer and Jimmy with lances pointed at them, that made the Doctor jump back, in front of Angel as she turned around, "Don't...move!" Jimmy ordered, glancing at Angel as she frowned at him, confused, glancing between him and the man that looked just like him in the harness.

"Stay back, Jen," Buzzer glanced at the girl, "We don't know who they are."

"So let's ask them," Jen said calmly, "Who the hell are you?"

"Well, I'm the Doctor," he began, eyeing the lances warily, feeling his hearts racing as they remained pointed at them, "And this is Amy and Rory and Angel and it's all very nice, isn't it?"

Amy looked back, realizing that two of the people talking to them, the men, were duplicates of the two men in the harnesses behind them, "Hold up. You're all…what are you all, like, identical twins?"

Another young man and an older woman in acid suits entered from behind them, "This is an Alpha-grade industrial facility," the older woman stated, eyeing them, "Unless you work for the military or for Morpeth Jetson, you are in _big_ trouble."

"Actually, _you're_ in big trouble," the Doctor turned to her, showing her the psychic paper.

"Meteorological department, since when?"

"Since you were hit by a solar wave."

"Which we _survived_."

" _Just_ , by the look of it. And, according to Angel, there's a bigger one on the way. And Angel's not been wrong yet."

"Then we'll survive that one also," the woman rolled her eyes before turning to the young man beside her, "Dicken, scan for bugs," but Dicken just stood there, "Dicken!"

Dicken jumped, quickly pulling his gaze away from Angel and jolted forward, "Sorry boss," he murmured, holding up a scanner to them, "Backs against the wall," he looked at the Doctor to see the man's eyes narrowed at him, his hands clenching in fists as he moved even more in front of Angel, "Now."

"Doctor," Angel reached out and put a hand on his shoulder, "Just do as they say."

The Doctor though...he wasn't quite tense about THAT, about the weapons and the ordering and the ignoring going on, no, that was fine, that was typical. What wasn't typical...though, thinking on it, he really had NO idea how it wasn't...was the man that had been staring, openly oggling, Angel. That was rude! And wrong! And...rude! Angel wasn't a piece of meat to be drooled over!

...and it might have had something to do with the fact that he felt an anger rise in him to see the man staring at her. He could understand it happening, Angel was a lovely woman, but...something in him did NOT like it at all.

But he sighed and turned, moving with Amy and Rory at Angel's pleading, to the wall, as they were told, "You're not a monastery," he looked around, needing something to distract him from how Dicken was starting with Angel and, to him, taking FAR too long to scan her, "You're a factory. 22nd century, army-owned factory."

"You're army?" Amy's eyes widened as Dicken moved on, really spending the same amount of time on all of them as he had Angel.

"No, love, we're contractors and you're trespassers," the woman corrected.

"It's ok, boss," Dicken reported as he finished scanning, "They're good," he glanced at Angel, "Very good," and blushed a bit, before clearing his throat, not seeing the Doctor's jaw tense at the very faint pink tinge on his cheeks, "No bugs."

"Alright, weatherman, your I.D. checks out," the woman looked at the Doctor, "If there's another Solar Storm, what are you going to do about it, hand out sun block?"

The Doctor gave a fake, tense laugh, "Ha, ha, ha, ha. I need to see your critical systems."

"Which one?"

"You know which one," his voice dropped low and he couldn't help but grin to see Angel give a small smile at it, he liked that...that voice made him feel like the 'tall, dark, hero' and, he really, really liked how Angel seemed to like him when he was that too.

~8~

The captain, Cleaves they'd learned, led them into another monastery room where there was a vat on a raised platform in the back. In front of it, on the floor, was an open tub the size of a person. There was a bubbling noise in the vat as the Doctor walked around to the opposite side of it, looking down at a white liquid inside, "And there you are," the Doctor smiled, eyeing it as Amy, Rory, and Angel walked in with the crew.

Angel stood beside Rory, her eyes on the vat with a small frown on her face, seeing where the Doctor's mind had gone, why he'd come there, who he'd come there for, and exactly what he needed to know about that liquid.

"Meet the government's worst-kept secret, the Flesh," Cleaves stated, "It's fully programmable matter. In fact, it's even learning to replicate itself at the cellular level."

"Right," Amy nodded, "Brilliant. Lost."

"Ok. Once a reading's been taken, we can manipulate its molecular structure into anything, replicate a living organism, down to the hairs on its chinny-chin-chin. Even clothes, and everything's identical, eyes, voice…"

"Mind, soul," the Doctor added, glancing at Amy, as did Angel as she slowly made her way around the vat and to his side before returning her gaze to the white liquid.

"Don't be fooled, Doctor. It _acts_ like life, but it still needs to be controlled by us from those harnesses you saw."

"Wait, whoa, whoa, whoa, hold it," Rory looked at them, "So...you're Flesh now?"

"I'm lying in a harness back in that chamber," she nodded, "We all are, except Jennifer, here. Don't be scared. This thing? Just like operating a forklift truck."

"You said it could _grow_ ," the Doctor countered, "Only _living_ things grow."

" _Moss_ grows. It's no more than that. This acid is so dangerous, we were losing a worker every week. So now, we mine the acid, using these doppelgangers, or 'gangers.' If these bodies get burnt or fall in the acid..."

"Then who the hell cares?" Ganger Buzzer asked, "Right, Jen?"

"That's horrible," Angel breathed, frowning at the liquid, unable to help thinking about Martha's clone, how painfully she had died and that had just been her heart. To be a clone...and then be eaten away by acid...she felt sick...

"Well, the nerve endings automatically cut off, like airbags being discharged," Jen explained, "Except we wake up and get a new Ganger."

"It's weird," Ganger Jimmy admitted, "But you get used to it."

"Jennifer, I want you in your Ganger," Ganger Cleaves ordered, "Get back to the harness."

The Doctor pulled out the sonic and scanned the Flesh, "Hang on," Ganger Buzzer called, seeing the liquid start to bubble, "What's he up to? What are you up to, pal?"

The Doctor struggled a bit to move his arm, "Stop it. Ah!" and yanked it back, "Strange. It was like, for a moment there, it was scanning me," he frowned and put the sonic back in his pocket, reaching out to _touch_ the top of the liquid with his palm.

"Doctor…" Ganger Cleaves warned.

"Ah!" his hand shook and he struggled even worse than before...but he just couldn't seem to pull away, the Flesh had gotten hold of him.

"Get back, Doctor. Leave it alone!"

"Ah! Ah! Ah! Gah!" he forcefully pulled his hand away, panting as he stared at the vat, "I understand."

"Doctor, are you alright?" Amy eyed him.

"Incredible," he shook his head, looking at them, "You have no idea. No idea. I mean, I felt it in my mind. I reached out to it and it, to me."

Angel bit her lip, glancing at him and then the vat, before tentatively reaching out a hand herself...touching the liquid with the tips of her fingers...

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LOVE how that worked out :) That line about Rory's family, his brothers being immortal and him repeatedly dying and coming back -wink wink- and then his sisters all being psychic! When I wrote that I think I had a little squeal moment because I didn't even realize it was actually true till I read over it again :)
> 
> Lol, did you like Dicken? He'll be a bit more involved in this than in the actual show, I felt like he just sort of was in the background. I mean, Jimmy was awesome, Jen was insane, Cleaves was tough, Buzzer easily angered/provoked...Dicken...sneezed. And that was all I really think of him when I think of the show :( So he'll have a bit more of a fun role here, especially with the Doctor ;)
> 
> But oh boy...the Doctor's not the only one who touched the Flesh! What will happen now? Will anything really happen since this is BEFORE the storm hits again? Well, we'll have to wait and see }:)
> 
> I know that, since we're at the Ganger episodes, I should probably clear a tiny thing up...sometimes, when I think of Amy and Rory, I think of them as just the Ponds. But that sort of also goes for them being separated too, like I can't picture Amy just being 'Pond' anymore with Rory being her husband, so, sometimes, when I say Ponds, I might mean just one of them. I actually just realized I hadn't put a note in about this till now, sorry! As for what brought it up, Jack WILL meet 'the Ponds' before Demons Run ;)


	17. The Rebel Flesh: The Flesh

Angel gasped as the liquid bubbled, sensations filling her, and none of them good, not trying to pull her hand away despite the bubbles getting worse. She had learned from the Doctor it took more effort and she just... _couldn't_. The Flesh...it was trying to _tell_ them something and no one, not even the Doctor, was listening. She'd had plenty of experience with TARDISes, they tried to talk but no one heard them, this was the same thing only now...she _could_.

The Doctor watched, tensing more and more as Angel didn't back away, eyed the liquid till it started to calm down, simmer, and fall flat again, Angel shakily pulling her hand back only for it to fly to her mouth, her eyes wide with tears.

"Angel?" Rory stepped cautiously over to her when she turned her gaze to him and, well, mostly to Amy, staring at his wife in shock, as though she'd worked something out, "Are you alright?"

Angel just shook her head, "That was...horrible," she breathed, and Rory rushed over to her, hugging her tightly, knowing that the Doctor wouldn't...Angel wouldn't let the Doctor hug her the way she needed to be hugged right now, tightly. The Doctor would be SURE to notice the baby belly if he hugged her, and he knew Angel wouldn't risk NOW being the moment she spoke to him about that. So he hugged her, getting to her before the Doctor could, ignoring the man actually seeming to growl under his breath at the action in favor of comforting his Pilot.

"What was it?" he whispered to her.

But Angel just shook her head, closing her eyes as she buried her face in Rory's hug, too overwhelmed. It was...pain. _So much pain_. And fear. And sorrow and loneliness and reaching out to be heard but being ignored, cast off, without a thought. She knew that feeling, she'd felt it every time River appeared. She could empathize. But...that wasn't all she felt and saw when she'd touched the Flesh. No...she'd gotten so much more than she bargained for.

And it broke her hearts the truths she'd learned in that liquid, the horrible truth she'd been trying not to see.

But she couldn't ignore it anymore, not when the Flesh confirmed it.

"Don't fiddle with the money," Ganger Cleaves rolled her eyes at the Time Lords, thinking Angel overreacting to a pile of goop.

"How can you be so blinkered?!" the Doctor snapped, spinning to face her, his fists clenched, couldn't she _see_ from Angel's reaction just HOW important the Flesh was?! It was like she was disregarding Angel's pain and THAT was not something he'd stand for.

"The Flesh..." Angel whispered, "It's _alive_ ," and it was calling out to be heard, and she had heard it, she heard everything.

" _So_ alive," the Doctor agreed as Amy moved over to Angel as well, rubbing her back in comfort as she clung to Rory, forcing himself to focus on the workers instead, Angel was hurting and he wouldn't deprive her of her comfort, even if it was from the humans and not him, "You're piling your lives, your personalities, directly into it."

Angel took a shuddering breath at that, wiping at her eyes as she squeezed Rory's arm in thanks, turning to him, "Doctor," she called, making him look at her, "We haven't got time," she nodded outside.

He looked over his shoulder, a moment before lightning crashed. He pulled the snow globe out again and the ground shook, "It's the Solar Storm. The first waves come in pairs, pre-shock and full shock, it's close."

"Buzz, have we got anything from the mainland yet?" Ganger Cleaves asked.

"No, the comms. are still too jammed with radiation," Ganger Buzzer replied.

"Ok, then we'll keep pumping acid until the mainland says stop. Now, why don't you stand back and let us impress you."

"Please, don't," Angel pleaded, moving to the woman and taking her arm, " _Please_. You don't understand what you're doing to the Flesh..."

"We've been using the Flesh for _ages_ ," Ganger Cleaves pulled her arm away, scoffing, "We _know_ how it works. Watch," she turned to the tub.

~8~

Jen ran her ID card through the scanner outside her harness, "I.D. confirmed. Jennifer Lucas."

"The meter is running," she smiled, scanning her palm.

~8~

Flesh started to pour into the tub on the ground, Angel shifting as she watched it, glancing at the vat of Flesh, devastated.

~8~

Jen sat back, mostly in the harness, doing one final check, "Cardio and respiratory...online. Motor functions...online. Plumbing in," she laid back and soon fell unconscious.

~8~

The group watched as the tub filled with Flesh and soon...a face began to form, the mouth first, then the eyes and then the Flesh began to take shape, clothes and everything, resembling Jen almost exactly, except the face wasn't fully defined. A moment later she sat up with a gasp, now fully-formed and looking very much like Jen, "Well, I can see why you keep it in a church," the Doctor remarked "The miracle of life."

Angel winced, though no one saw, all of them too focused on the tub, and put her hand on her stomach, taking deep breaths as it all hit her. Everything the Doctor was worried about...he had right to be, and she knew...it was all going to come to a head very soon...and the consequences...would be extreme.

"No need to get poncey," Ganger Buzzer remarked, "It's just gunge."

" _Don't_ call it that," Angel whispered.

Rory looked over, seeing she was pale and shaky and frowned, making his way back to her, putting an arm around her in comfort, "Are you ok?"

Angel shook her head, staring at the vat.

"Do you need to lie down?" Dicken asked her, having been watching her, "I can show you where the bunks are and..." he started heading to her as though to lead her off.

"No!" the Doctor suddenly shouted, before offering a smile when everyone turned to look at him, "I um...we don't have time?" he looked at Angel.

"And WE need to get to work," Ganger Cleaves reminded them, looking pointedly at Dicken as the man sighed and headed over to her.

"Ok, everybody," Ganger Jimmy called, "Let's crack on," he reached out and helped Ganger Jen out.

"Did I mention the _Solar Storm_?" the Doctor looked at them, "You need to get _out_ of here."

"Well, where do you want us to go? We're on a tiny island."

"Well, I can get you all off it."

"Don't be ridiculous," Ganger Cleaves shook her head, "We've got a job to do."

"It's coming," Angel breathed, looking over her shoulder.

And then...an alarm started to blare.

"That's the alarm!" Ganger Jen cried.

"How do you get power?" the Doctor turned to them.

"We're solar and we use a solar router," Ganger Cleaves replied, "The weathervane."

"Big problem."

"Boss, maybe if the storm comes back, we should get underground," Ganger Jimmy suggested, "The factory's seen better days. The acid pipes might not withstand another hit."

"We have 200 tons of acid to pump out," Ganger Cleaves sighed, "We fall behind, we stay another rotation. Anyone want that?"

"Please," the Doctor grabbed her arm and pulled her aside, "You are making a _massive_ mistake here. You're right at the crossroads of it. Don't turn the wrong way. If you don't…if you don't…prepare for this storm, you are all in terrible danger, believe me, _Angel's_ worried," he glanced at her to see the Time Lady staring outside with a frown, "And when she's worried it's because not-good things are coming. Understand?" he knew telling the woman that Angel was psychic would get him nowhere, Cleaves Ganger or Real, struck him to be a no nonsense woman, she wouldn't believe him.

"My factory, my rules," she pulled her arm away and walked off.

"I need to check the progress of the storm," he snapped his finger and pointed to Ganger Jen, "Monitoring station," she hesitated, so he snapped his fingers again, "Monitoring station!"

"Three lefts, a right, and a left," she answered, "Third door on your left."

"Thank you," he ran out and Amy, Rory, and Angel followed after him, Angel pausing to take one more look at the vat before glancing at Amy and rushing after them.

~8~

The group entered a room with a circular bank of instruments in the center as the building shook from the storm, "The wave's disturbing the Earth's magnetic field," the Doctor looked around, "There is going to be the mother and father of all power surges. You see this weathervane, the cock-a-doodle-doo? It's a solar router, feeding the whole factory with solar power. When that wave hits...kaboom. I've got to get to that cockerel before all hell breaks loose," he stopped in a doorway on his way out and chuckled, "I never thought I'd have to say _that_ again. Angel, stay with them, ok?" he looked at Amy, "Amy, breathe," and then turned and left.

"Yeah!" Amy nodded, confused, "I mean, thanks, I'll try?" she looked at Angel who just shook her head, unable to answer, just look up at the ceiling, her hand on her stomach behind Amy's back.

...this was _not_ going to end well.

~8~

The Doctor ran across the tower upon which the solar router rested.

~8~

The Gangers watched as the electricity crackled around the harness room and the Original thems rested in the harnesses.

~8~

One of the pipes cracked and began to leak acid onto the ground around the TARDIS making her start to sink into the dirt, humming angrily all the while.

~8~

The Doctor climbed the ladder outside the tower and stopped beside the power box, pulling it open with a grunt...

~8~

"No," Angel whispered, her eyes wide, before she took off out of the room.

"Angel!" Rory tried to run after her but the shaking worsened, keeping him from following.

~8~

The Doctor had _just_ reached inside the box...when lightning struck the tower and zapped him, making him fall off the battlement...

~8~

Electricity struck the vat of Flesh and the power went out.

~8~

"Doctor..."

The Doctor's head rolled to the side in his sleep, hearing a voice calling to him. His lips twitched at the corners, it was a nice voice, it sounded very much like Angel now that the thought about it. But it couldn't be here, she was with Rory and Amy.

And then there was a warm hand on his chest, lightly shaking him, "Doctor."

He pouted at the sensation, the shaking, it was waking him up, and it was rather nice to sleep a bit, to finally be able to sleep. But it was fading now...he reached out quickly, his eyes still closed, and grabbed the hand that was shaking him, not pulling it away but just...holding it as he rested his hand and the other one back onto his chest. It was a nice hand, soft, warm...made his skin tingle...

"Please wake up," the voice murmured again, "Please don't do this to me again..."

He frowned now, the voice...it was pleading to him, it sounded sad and scared and...he didn't like it. So, despite wanting to sleep on a little while longer, actually having been about to nod off with the warm hand in his and the soothing voice speaking, he forced his eyes to blink open...

"Angel?" he blinked, before jolting up with a gasp, "Are you alright!? What are you doing here? Are Amy and Rory? What are you doing..."

He was cut off by Angel putting a finger on his lip, his eyes widening before going cross-eyed to look at it, "They're fine but..." she glanced back across the roof, she'd sensed him in danger and had just...reacted...had run off, got knocked out for a short while, but she'd woken up only moments ago and run to find him again, "I'm not sure about Cleaves and her crew."

He blinked a moment before scrambling to get up, wincing and taking a moment to roll his shoulders and twist his back from his fall as Angel stood behind him, watching him cautiously, worried he'd been hurt worse than he was letting on, but he just spun around and smiled, "Time to save the day then eh?" he winked before turning to head towards the door, slower this time.

He'd...he'd noticed, and commented a tiny bit, on how Angel seemed to have...gotten a bit slower in their travels. She usually lagged behind with Rory and he really had to talk to her about that, if she was tired or needed another break...even though he really didn't want her to visit Jack again and stay for a short while...he'd be ok with that. he could do breaks. He didn't like them but he could DO them! And...if it meant Angel would stay and feel better...he'd do anything.

And, it wasn't just that, but...he was worried about the acid pipes as well, that last hit had been a doozy and the pipes were likely leaking. He didn't want to go running off somewhere and end up getting them trapped in acid. He honestly wasn't sure how the Vortex would hold against acid, he was sure it could, but...acid was always tricky. And for him? Yes, he'd run in with no plan at all, but...he wouldn't risk Angel.

~8~

Amy and Rory woke up on the floor of the control room, "Oh," Rory winced, helping Amy up, "For want of a better word, ow!"

~8~

The Doctor carefully glanced around at the bottom of a set of steps, making sure there was no acid leaking before he held his hand out behind him for Angel to take as they continued on, him leading Angel around a small corner...only to see Cleaves standing in a doorway, looking outside, bewildered, "Cleaves! You're not in your harness!"

Angel froze, staring at Cleaves, instinctively knowing something was VERY off about the woman before she shook her head, that was the right word, off, but NOT wrong.

"I'm sorry, Doctor," she looked at him, "You were right."

"You've lost all power to the factory."

"Doctor, I abandoned my team."

"We should check on them then," Angel stepped forward and put a hand on the woman's shoulder, "I'm sure they'll be ok," she reassured her, taking the woman's hand and tugging her along, this time leading them off, back inside.

"How long would you say we were unconscious for?" the Doctor asked Cleaves.

"Not long," she shrugged, "A minute, two minutes."

"No," Angel shook her head, "It was..." she trailed off, not quite sure if she should say it.

"It was what?" Cleaves frowned.

"An hour," Angel looked at the Doctor meaningfully.

He sighed, nodding, understanding what she was getting at, "I've seen whole worlds turned inside out in an hour," he looked at Angel in concern, "A lot can go wrong in an hour."

~8~

Amy and Rory entered the harness room as the humans were getting out of them, "I feel like I've been toasted," Buzzer groaned.

"What the hell happened?" Jimmy looked around, seeing various things sparking and broken.

"The Tsunami happened," Amy walked over to them, frowning when she saw Jimmy wince, "You're hurt."

"Well, it feels like the national grid's running through my bones, but apart from that..."

"I hope the meter's not bust," Buzzer remarked, "I still want to get paid."

"Why?" Jen trembled, her voice small, barely heard above the chatter of the other men.

But Rory heard her. He looked over to see Jen standing by herself, shaking, and went to comfort her, "Jennifer! Jennifer? Right? It's Jen?" he offered her a smile, "I'm Rory," before chuckling a bit, "Nice to meet you..."

Jen just looked up at him with tears in her eyes, "It hurt so much," she sobbed.

"Hey, hey, it's ok, it's over," he hugged her, empathizing with her, she was a rather small girl, and with her black hair, she reminded him quite a bit of Angel.

"I couldn't get out of my harness."

"Shh, shh, shh."

"I thought I was going to die!"

"Welcome to my world," he mumbled, looking at Amy over Jen's head, giving her a questioning look and nodding his head to the door. Amy just shrugged, she didn't know where the Doctor or Angel were either.

Speak of the devil and his angel...the very Time Lords in question walked into the room with Cleaves in tow, "Doctor, look, these are all real people," Amy called, "So where are their Gangers?"

"The Gangers are real people too," Angel insisted gently, looking around at them all, "Are you all ok?" she glanced at the other men, "Jimmy? Buzzer?" they nodded, "Dicken, alright there?"

Dicken grinned at that, "I'm fine, are YOU ok?" he looked her over as though trying to see if she were injured...

Or at least that was probably what he really _was_ doing, though the Doctor could only see a man staring at Angel, eyeing her up and down, and frowned, "Eyes front soldier!" he shouted, a bit of a snap to his voice that made Dicken look up at him and frown, holding up his hands in defense.

Angel gave the Doctor an odd look for a moment, she really didn't know what was going on with him. He'd regenerated so different, so...distant, and now he was acting...almost like he was really her Mate...and yet he'd kissed River and they kept running into her and...she just didn't know. She shook her head and spotted Rory and Jen, "Jen are you alright?" she walked over to her and Rory, rubbing her back in comfort as Rory gave her a look that made her smile, nodding to reassure him as well that she hadn't been hurt. She couldn't say she was ok, she really wasn't, the Gangers...the Flesh...everything she'd felt from it...it was hard to bear.

"She got a bit of a scare," Rory told her quietly, "But she's fine," he looked at Jen, "You're fine Jen, you'll be ok."

"Don't worry," Cleaves answered Amy, "When the link shuts down, the Gangers return to pure Flesh," she didn't notice the Doctor glance at Angel for how she stiffened at that and frown, "Now, the storm's left us with acid leaks all over, so we need to contact the mainland. They can have a rescue shuttle out here in no time."

"Shh…" Angel whispered, listening intently as every one fell silent, hearing Dusty Springfield playing again.

"That's my record," Jimmy breathed, "Who's playing my record?"

"Your Gangers," the Doctor replied, "They've gone for a walkabout."

"No, it's impossible," Cleaves shook her head, "They're not active, cars don't fly themselves, cranes don't lift themselves, and Gangers don't…" they all turned to the sound of the music, all of them realizing there really WAS only one explanation for the music to be on.

~8~

The record was playing on the turntable of the dining hall as they entered the room through thick plastic strips hanging over the doorway, "No way…" Buzzer breathed, seeing it wasn't just one thing that had been disturbed, but everything. The room was a mess, things were moved and opened and lying there...clearly someone had been through it and it wasn't them.

"I don't…I don't believe this," Cleaves shook her head.

"They could've escaped through the service door in the back," Jimmy remarked.

"This is _just_ like the Isle of Sheppey," Buzzer frowned.

The Doctor sat at the table and looked at a house of cards before him, "It would seem the storm has animated your Gangers."

"They've ransacked everything," Cleaves looked around.

"No they haven't," Angel frowned looking at a book on the table, picking it up to eye closer, "They've just searched through some things."

"Through our stuff," Cleaves huffed.

"It's both your 'stuff,'" Angel countered, glancing at her as she put the book down.

"Searching for what though?" Jimmy frowned.

Angel blinked, tracing the cover of the book, "Confirmation," she murmured, "They just..." she swallowed hard, "They want to know they're real, that their memories are _real_."

"Oh, so they've got flaming _memories_ now," Buzzer scoffed.

"They feel compelled to connect to their lives, yeah," the Doctor looked at him.

"Their stolen lives," Cleaves corrected.

Angel winced at that, turning to sit on the edge of the bench of the table, her back to the Doctor as she sighed, rubbing her temples. She didn't like this, humans getting scared, it never ended well.

"No, _bequeathed_. You _gave_ them this. You poured in your personalities, emotions, traits, memories, secrets, everything. You gave them your lives. Human lives are amazing. Are you surprised they walked off with them?"

"I'll say it again," Buzzer sighed, "Isle of Sheppey. Ganger got an electric shock, toddled off, killed his operator, right there in his harness. I've seen the photos. This bloke's ear was…"

"Even if this has actually happened," Jimmy cut in, seeing Angel go a bit green at talk of severed ears and things, "They can't remain stable without us plumbed into them, can they, boss?" he looked at Cleaves.

"I guess we'll find out," she remarked.

Jen gasped and Rory moved to her side, Angel glancing over at them, "Are you ok?" Rory asked her, "Do you need some water?"

"I feel funny," Jen went pale, "I need the washroom," she ran out the door.

"I'll come with you," Rory looked back at Angel, who nodded and gave him a smile, which he returned before following after her.

Dicken sneezed, "Sorry."

"Bless you," Angel murmured.

Dicken grinned, "Blessed by an Angel," he chuckled, "That's a first," he winked at her, "Best day ever then."

Angel gave him an odd look, understanding he was trying to flirt with her but...it was just...it didn't do anything for her, at all really. It was like he was just talking to her. The only one she ever felt something when flirted with by was the Doctor...who was currently glaring daggers at Dicken.

"So who's this?" the Doctor asked, slightly louder than he intended, though it DID make Dicken look over as well, which was exactly what he did intend. He gestured to the small house of cards set up before him.

"That's me," Buzzer nodded at the cards, "It's good to have a hobby."

"You're very talented," Angel commented, glancing at him over her shoulder, "I suppose that means your Ganger is equally so."

Buzzer though, frowned at the compliment, his mind sticking on the 'Ganger' bit, "So, what, my Ganger did that, all on its own?"

"Who taught you to do this?" the Doctor looked at him.

"Me granddad."

"Well, your Ganger's granddad taught him to do it, too. You both have the same childhood memories, just as clear, just as real."

"No," he knocked down the cards.

"They're just scared," Angel breathed, "And disoriented," she glanced at the door Rory had just gone through, a pit starting to form in her stomach and twist painfully, she was starting to think she shouldn't have let him go alone. It wasn't that she didn't trust him, she did, but...disoriented and scared people tended to lash out and she didn't want him to get hurt.

She sighed, rubbing her head, her head was starting to hurt now, with all the Flesh running around it was like...it was like she could still feel what she'd felt in the vat, but stronger. It was crowding her head, and she was starting to worry that she might not be able to get a good sense or vision of the future if she didn't clear her head soon.

"They're st...struggling to...come to terms..." the Doctor started trailing off as he watched Dicken moving to a side cubby-hole, pulling out a small plate of something, "With an entire...life in their heads..." he frowned, seeing the man moving to Angel with it.

"Um..." Dicken began as Angel looked up, "Want some?" he held out the plate to her, lifting the small cloth that had been covering it.

Angel let out a little laugh and smiled, "Brownies," she shook her head, that was truly ironic that he had a plate of her now-favorite treat.

"Yeah," Dicken smiled, seeing Angel smiling at the treats, "My mum," he shrugged, blushing a bit, "She sends them sometimes, little things to cheer me up."

Angel nodded, "She loves you very much," she told him, "And she's very proud of you."

"I hope she is."

"She is," she insisted gently, making Dicken look at her, "I'm psychic, I know."

Dicken laughed, thinking she was joking, but offered her the plate once more, beaming when she took a small treat, not seeing Amy smirking openly at the glowering look the Doctor was sending the man...he was SO jealous!

She was LOVING it!

~8~

Rory stood in the doorway of the washroom while Jen leaned over the sink, looking in the mirror, "The Doctor's always saying 'don't wander off,'" he remarked, "First rule with him, actually, no, first rule is he lies, most _important_ rule is 'don't wander off,'" he laughed a bit, "And then Angel tells us that no matter how many times he says it, no one ever listens."

He was rambling, he knew it, but...he really didn't know what else to do. Jen was upset and he knew exactly what to do when Amy was upset, he knew her forever. And when Angel was crying, all he had to do was hug her and she'd start smiling, she always said not to underestimate the power of a hug. But Jen...he didn't really know her all that well, and...he wasn't really sure...

"I just need a minute," she cut in gently.

"Oh, yeah, yeah. Sure, yeah. Take all the time you need. I've got your back. You're fine," he turned his back to the room as Jen looked into the mirror, her face flashing to that of a half-formed Ganger. She gasped and coughed up what seemed to be Flesh, "Uh, Jennifer?" with a gasp, Jen ran back to one of the stalls and locked the door as Rory turned around, "What's up, Jennifer? We'd, uh, better get going," he walked into the room and set the light he'd been holding on the counter, "Everything ok in there, Jen?" he looked over at the mirror before turning...

Only to be punched in the face by a large fist, the arm attached to it extending from the stall.

On the floor where he'd fallen, Rory watched the arm withdraw back to the stall and Jen's head come out, her neck long and snake-like, "Just let us live!" Ganger Jen growled at him.

He got up off the floor, grabbing the light, and _ran_.

~8~

The Doctor stood at the microwave, his arms crossed, his jaw tense as he watched the others sit around the table of the dining hall, eating the last of Dicken's brownies, Angel having eaten just one or two more than the others. He hadn't taken his narrowed eyes off them (Dicken), even as he worked on preparing the small plate of food, actual food, not snacks, not little brown squares, but whole, hearty, wholesome food, thank you very much!

"We need to protect ourselves," Jimmy was saying.

The Doctor put a container of food into the microwave as Angel looked at the man with a frown, "You're not a very violent person are you, Jimmy?"

"No," Jimmy frowned.

"Well, if YOU'RE not...why would another you be?" she smiled at him, "I think the world could do with two Jimmys running around. You seem like an amazing man."

Jimmy smiled at that, that was one of the nicest things anyone had ever said to him.

"Don't tell me you can eat at a time like this, Doctor," Cleaves looked over at him when she heard the microwave start, walking over to see what he was doing.

"It's not for me," he remarked, "Angel should eat something more than just brownies," he added, see! He could make food for her too! "Not to mention, you told Angel and I that we were out cold for a few minutes when, in fact, it was an hour."

"Sorry, I just assumed…"

"Well, it's not your fault. Like we said, they're disoriented. Amy, when you got to the alcoves, who was in harness?" the timer went off on the microwave and the Doctor pulled it out with a towel as the plate was very hot.

"Um, Jimmy and Dicken were helping Buzzer out," Amy recalled.

"And Jennifer?" Angel asked her.

"She was standing on her own when we got to her."

The Doctor turned, about to head to Angel with the food before a thought struck him and he turned, handing the plate to Cleaves as she held it in her _bare hands_ , not even flinching, something that made the other stiffen to realize, "It's hot," he remarked.

She hissed and dropped the plate, the Doctor lunging forward to try and catch the plate with the towel...only to be too late, the plate shattering on the floor with all that food wasted, making him pout. Though Cleaves just looked at her hand, shaking it out, "Ah."

"The transmatter's still a little rubbery," the Doctor sighed at the food before he turned and examined Cleaves's hand, "The nerve endings are not quite fused properly."

She pulled her hand away, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"It's ok," Angel got up and walked over to her.

"Why didn't I _feel_ that?" Ganger Cleaves looked at her and the Doctor.

"You will," the Doctor said as Angel put a hand on Cleaves's shoulder, "You'll stabilize."

"No, stop it! You're playing stupid games. Stop it!" she pulled herself away from Angel and turned her back on them.

"You don't have to hide," the Doctor slowly approached her, gesturing for Angel to stay back, "Please, trust me. I'm the Doctor."

Ganger Cleaves turned on them with a hiss, her face half-formed.

Buzzer grabbed a knife from the table and headed towards her but Jimmy held him back, "Where's the real Cleaves, you _thing_?!" Buzzer glared at her, "What have you done with her?!"

"Buzzer please, hush," Angel looked at him, alarmed and concerned, she was starting to get the feeling that Buzzer would cause a few problems with his attitude towards the Gangers, him and Cleaves both.

"That's it, good," the Doctor nodded, winking at Angel in thanks as he ignored Buzzer, "You remember. This is early Flesh, the early stages of the technology. So much..." he reached out a hand to touch Cleaves's hand and she shuddered, "To learn."

"Doctor, what's happened to her?" Amy asked, slowly getting up as well.

"She can't stabilize, she's shifting between half-formed and full-formed. For now, at least."

"We are _living_!" Ganger Cleaves replied, lunging at the Doctor with a growl. Angel pulled him back to the side and the Ganger ran from the room, screaming.

"No wait!" Angel tried to go after her, but the Doctor grabbed her hand, stopping her.

"Let her go," he told her and the others as well.

"Doctor," Amy gasped, "Rory."

"'Rory?'"

"Rory!"

"Oh, Rory. Rory! Always with the Rory!"

"He's alright," Angel told them, "Right now," she nodded, feeling it, "He's fine," she swallowed hard, for now he was.

~8~

Rory cautiously moved through the tunnels of the monastery, trying to be careful and avoid any acid that might be around.

~8~

The Doctor, Amy, Angel, and Jimmy left the dining hall...the Doctor having insisted that _Jimmy_ come and not Dicken as the young man had offered...the four of them heading down the tunnels to find their way blocked by acid on the ground, "The explosion must've ruptured the acid feeds," Jimmy remarked, "We're going to need the acid suits."

"No, no, no, we haven't got time," the Doctor turned, ushering them backwards, "Back, back, back."

Angel looked down a hall, "This way," she said, rushing off.

"Angel!" the Doctor shouted, hurrying after her, "Be careful, there's acid everywhere!"

Amy had to laugh at that, despite the danger Rory might be in, to hear the DOCTOR talking about being safe was just...really funny.

~8~

Rory's path was blocked by acid and he headed back the way he came...only to hear, Ganger Jen calling out, "Rory!" he ducked behind some crates as she walked by, "Rory?! Rory?!" she looked around, her face half-formed.

~8~

Jimmy, the Doctor, Angel, and Amy ran into the washroom where Angel had led them, the Doctor spotting the hole in the stall door that Jen had punched through.

"Rory!" Amy shouted.

"Of course," the Doctor realized, "Jennifer's a Ganger, too."

"Doctor, you said they wouldn't be violent."

"But Angel _did_ say they were scared and angry."

"And early technology, is what you said," Jimmy looked at him, "You seem to know something about the Flesh."

"Do you?" Amy looked at him, "Doctor?"

Angel glanced away, looking at a small lump of Flesh in the sink, the Doctor certainly knew more than he was letting on. But she knew he hadn't worked it out entirely just yet, and she knew, when he did...it would be worse than he imagined.

"You're no weatherman. Why are you really here?"

"I have to talk to them," the Doctor said, "I can fix this," he turned and ran out of the room, Angel and Amy following him.

"Wait!" Jimmy called as he dashed off after them, "What's going on? Where's the real Jennifer?!"

~8~

In another part of the monastery tunnels, the real Jennifer made her way down some stairs, leaning heavily against the wall, limping as she shuddered for breath. She winced and clutched at her leg, it was hurt, it was hurt badly and she was alone and scared and...she kept thinking she was hearing herself calling out in the dark. She swallowed hard, sniffling, before she ran on, hoping she might find someone to help...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Jen :( I always felt so bad for her, she started so sweet, but just...went a little bit insane at the end didn't she? lol :)
> 
> But did you like jealous Doctor? Awww :) And poor Angel, she got a pretty big sense of the Flesh didn't she? :( It'll affect her for quite a while too :( But I'm really excited for Ganger Doctor though ;)


	18. The Rebel Flesh: The Gangers

The Doctor was in the lead as the small group reached the top of a set of stairs and headed down the tunnel, steam bursting from pipes, the ground littered with acid, "It is too dangerous out here with acid leaks!" the Doctor remarked, frowning at the puddles and leaks, stepping back and forcing Angel and Amy to step back as well as they were behind him.

"I told you to go left Doctor," Angel murmured, recalling a fork in the halls they'd come to, "Do you want me to try to use the Vortex to..."

"No!" he spun around, his eyes wide, he really REALLY didn't want to risk her trying to use the Vortex to protect them from the acid and for it to not work, _if_ it didn't work, he didn't want her to get hurt trying. He didn't want to risk her at all, "No, it's fine."

"It's not fine," Amy cut in, "We have to find Rory!"

"Yes," he sighed, nodding, wincing as he realized he'd forgotten about Rory for a moment there, "Right, here's the plan...I'm going back to the TARDIS. Angel, get them to the dining hall, stay away from Dicken, wait for me there. I..."

"What?" Angel shook her head, confused by that request, she'd noticed it if he'd been trying to sneak it through.

"Get to the dining hall," he repeated, "And wait for me there..."

"You also said to stay away from Dicken."

He blinked, "Did I?" he frowned, he honestly hadn't noticed that, "Well...do that too," he nodded, completely agreeing with himself.

"Why?" she frowned, not sure why he'd say that, with the danger around she'd have thought he'd want her to keep an eye on everyone.

"Don't know," he admitted, looking away which Angel knew meant he wasn't being entirely honest.

She frowned and...took a little peek into his head. She'd actually been trying to stay _out_ of his mind, especially after they'd dealt with the Silence. She just...she hadn't wanted to see his thoughts about the kiss, too afraid to learn that he might have enjoyed it. True, he might have hated it but...from what she saw, he had liked it well enough, he hadn't pushed River away had he? From that point on she'd...blocked him, as much as she could at least. It wasn't really blocking though, that was impossible with the Mating (she STILL didn't know how he was managing to not hear or feel her at all), but...she wasn't _actively_ looking into his mind, she wasn't actively trying to hear his mental thoughts. She was...afraid, that she'd find his thoughts were on River despite the way he was acting around _her_ now, much differently than he had when he'd first regenerated. But she was scared, so she didn't look anymore, not intentionally at least. Things did slip through, plans, epiphanies, worries, but she was trying not to look.

Now though...she was almost shocked at his reasoning. He didn't like Dicken, he didn't like how Dicken took notice of her or spoke with her or even looked at her. Which confused her, Dicken was a sweet boy yes, but...he wasn't the Doctor. He wasn't her Mate. It went against her own Mating instinct to let another man be that familiar with her as the Doctor had been. She really...didn't know what had happened to him that his Mating instinct was so...she didn't know the word. She remembered how he was when other women had flirted with him, his last self, remembered how coldly and bluntly he could turn them away, but somehow, with River...

He'd told Rory in Venice that when Amy had kissed him it felt wrong, that he'd pushed Amy away. But River kissed him, he let it happen, and he hadn't said it felt wrong. Which worried her. It worried her how little the Mating instinct struck him. Yes, there were times he didn't seem to like other men being around her, times where he felt more protective of her than normal, but...then at other times he'd be kissing River Song!

She winced, she had to STOP thinking about that, about that moment but...it was hard, it was like the only thing she could see when she closed her eyes was him kissing River.

"But now it's part of the plan so!" he clapped, "You two, keep together," he gestured between her and Amy, "No more wandering off. Just...get back to the dining hall safe, ok?"

He looked at Angel more when he said that, he was more worried about her than Amy, which he really needed to figure out why. AMY was pregnant! He was nearly 99 percent sure of it. And there was acid everywhere, and he knew she'd run off after Rory despite that, Amy was as reckless as he was. But...he felt his hearts constrict more at the thought of _Angel_ getting even burned by the acid pipes! He felt his stomach drop at the thought of going off without her, his breath left him at knowing he wouldn't be there to keep her safe. But he _had_ to, the TARDIS was their only chance of being completely safe as they found and rescued Rory. He didn't want to leave Angel, not at all, not ever, but...she'd be safer in the dining hall with a group around her than with him running through acid. She'd be as safe as he could make her before he got back to her.

"And what about Rory?" Amy shook her head, "Doctor, if Angel can take us to him..."

"It would be safer to look for Rory and Jennifer with the TARDIS," he insisted. He had no doubt that Angel could lead them right to him, but the time it would take to navigate around the acid, even with her abilities and sensations pointing her in a safe direction, it would take too long. And he didn't want to chance her 'missing' something as there was only so much she could see.

Jimmy looked over and spotted a box on the wall, "Here we go," he opened them and pulled out a large container, "Distress flares," he closed the box and nearly jumped, seeing the Doctor right behind him.

"Exit?"

"Keep going straight, can't miss it. But you're never going to get your vehicle in here."

"I'm a _great_ parker," he turned and left.

Angel shook her head and turned to Amy, "I bet you 10 quid he parked the TARDIS in a puddle of acid."

Amy already knew _not_ to take that bet. She'd learned a _long_ time ago not to bet against Angel. She looked over at the acid on the ground and made a face, "Ew."

"We really need those acid suits," Jimmy remarked, "I've sent Buzzer and Dicken to get them."

"Fine and dandy. I'm just going to find my husband, so...cheers."

"But Amy, I wouldn't…"

"Nor would I. What can you do, eh?" she turned and headed down the tunnel.

"Hold on," Angel called, following her, "I'll go with you."

Amy paused, "But the Doctor said to go back to the dining hall."

"He also said to stay together and not to wander off," Angel shrugged, "But if we go together and I 'lead the way,' it's not wandering," she smiled, "I think I might be able to get us to Rory."

"Well then lead the way," Amy cheered, gesturing Angel on, trusting her to find a safe path.

Angel nodded and headed out, Amy following her as Jimmy shouted, "At least wait for acid suits!"

But they paid him no heed, maneuvering around the acid on the floor to continue the search for husband and companion.

~8~

In another section of tunnels Dicken and Buzzer crept along, watching out for acid and the Gangers.

~8~

Ganger Jen sat, half-formed, on a bench in what seemed to be a workout room when Rory slowly entered, "When I was a little girl, I got lost on the moors," Ganger Jen sighed as he looked at a picture over her shoulder of Jennifer as a child, "Wandered off from the picnic. I can still feel how sore my toes got inside my red Wellie boots. And I imagined another little girl, just like me, in red Wellies, and she was Jennifer too. Except she was a _strong_ Jennifer, a tough Jennifer. She'd lead me home," she picked the photo out of the frame and looked at her reflection in the glass before finding a more recent picture of herself, "My name is Jennifer Lucas. I'm _not_ a factory part. I had toast for my breakfast, I wrote a letter to my mum, and then you arrived," she looked back at Rory, "I noticed your eyes, right off."

"Did you?" Rory shifted, not quite sure what to say to that.

"Nice eyes. Kind."

Rory bent over to look at her, "Where's the real Jennifer?"

She stood, "I _am_ Jennifer Lucas. I remember everything that happened in her entire life. Every birthday, every childhood illness. I feel everything she's ever felt, and more," she started to cry, "I'm _not_ a monster! I am _me_!" she sobbed and beat her chest, "Me! Me! Me!" her skin turned peach at the last strike making her fully-formed.

Rory put a hand on her shoulder, "Hey..."

"Why did they _do_ this to us? Help me, Rory. Help me," she started to cry and, with little else to do, Rory hugged her.

He could understand now. He hadn't known exactly how much of the 'real' Jennifer the Ganger had gotten, how much of her memories, of her life and soul, but now he knew. It was everything, every little detail, memory, experience that made a person who they were. And this little girl was being told by everyone, and knew it herself, that while she was real, she wasn't the _original_ Jennifer. She was and would always be a copy, a thing, not as real as she wished and believed herself to be. She had the memories but SHE hadn't been the one to live them.

He could empathize entirely, plastic and Flesh weren't all that different in the end.

~8~

The Doctor entered the Flesh Room and made his way to the vat. He pulled out the sonic and set the frequency once more before eyeing the liquid. He quickly scanned the Flesh once more, isolating the cells and the information he needed, making the liquid bubble violently. He grinned, tossing the sonic in his hand before tucking it back in his pocket and ran from the room.

In the vat a single mouth appeared on the surface, "Trust me…" it whispered.

~8~

The Doctor ran outside, down the steps, and over to the TARDIS...but stopped and looked down, "Oh. What are you doing down there?!"

The TARDIS has nearly completely sunk into the acid saturated ground and he could hear it humming angrily...quite possibly murderously...even from there.

"Really!" he reached into his pocket for something, only to realize he was standing in a puddle of acid now eating away at his boots.

~8~

Dicken and Buzzer continued their search for the acid suits, making it to the room they were stored in with ease, not having encountered a Ganger yet.

~8~

The Doctor left his boots in the puddle and headed back up the stairs to the courtyard in nothing but his socks.

~8~

Dicken and Buzzer entered the locker room, "Clear!" Buzzer called. Dicken went to a closet and opened it...to find the suits were gone, "Those damn Gangers got to the acid suits!"

"But there's acid leaking everywhere," Dicken frowned, "Did you see the boss's eyes, back there in the hallway?"

"I've never seen a Ganger look at me like that."

"I don't know what they are now, but...they ain't us," he sneezed.

~8~

Propped by the vat of acid were the acid suits. The door opened and Gangers Buzzer, Jimmy, and Dicken looked up to see Ganger Cleaves enter, "We have the advantage now," she said, " _We_ have the acid suits. We can move freely, strike at will."

~8~

Rory walked into the courtyard, through a dark tunnel with Ganger Jen, "Are you _sure_ you're feeling better? No more super-elastic punches?"

"I'm...different now, stronger," she replied.

"The Doctor won't hurt you and neither will Angel. They just want to help Jennifer, ok?"

Jennifer stopped and looked at him with wide, happy eyes, "You used my _name_. You used my name! Thank you!" she kissed him on the cheek, before blushing and pulling away, "Amy's a lucky girl."

"Yeah...she is," he smiled proudly before sighing, "Let's go."

As they walked past a stairway, they didn't notice Cleaves hiding behind it. She waited till they walked by before running out, needing to get back to her crew.

~8~

Amy approached a set of large wooden doors at the end of a tunnel, "Rory. Rory!" she sighed and looked at Angel, "Anything?"

Angel took a breath and just...focused...smiling as she turned back to Amy, "He's close…I know he's around here somewhere…" Amy nodded, looking around, still very worried, "Hey," Angel put a hand on her shoulder, "We'll find him, soon, cross my hearts," she crossed them.

Amy started to smile at her when she heard a metallic click that didn't sound like it belonged. She looked over to see the eye patch woman was looking right at her through the wall! But just as suddenly as she saw it, the panel slid closed. She gasped and jerked back.

Angel opened her mouth to say something to her, a look of sorrow on her face, when…

"Amy!" they whirled around to see Rory at the end of the tunnel.

"You're ok!" Amy smiled, relived, "What happened?" she started to walk towards him but stopped when Ganger Jen stepped out from behind him.

"She needs protecting."

"Jen?" Dicken and Buzzer entered the tunnel as well, having heard the shouting.

"No, it's a Ganger," Amy told them, knowing that Rory wouldn't have said they had to protect her if she was real, "Rory, listen…"

"No, _you_ listen, nobody touches her!" Rory cut in, pulling himself up to his full height, standing his ground.

Angel smiled and gently pushed her way past the men and Amy, "Well said Rory," she walked forward and leaned over to hug Jen, noting that the girl tensed a bit before hugging her back.

She closed her eyes, getting an even stronger sense of the Flesh now that it was truly living and had a consciousness than she had in the vat. She could feel her hearts drop into her stomach as a horrible feeling hit her about this particular Ganger. She hoped though, she truly _truly_ hoped that she was wrong this time or that they would be able to change it.

The Gangers...she understood them, better than anyone, she'd felt what they felt, and it was terrible...

~8~

The Doctor entered the Acid Room, looking around when he spotted the acid suits lying there. He continued looking at the floor when he saw the legs of the Gangers and looked up at them, "Hello. How are we all getting on?"

"Why don't _you_ tell _us_?" Ganger Cleaves hissed.

"Well, we have two choices. The first is to tear each other apart, not my favorite, the second is to knuckle down and work together. Try to work out how best we can help you."

He tensed, waiting to see what they'd do, not quite sure if he got through to them or not and wishing he had taken Angel with him, he could do with a bit of good luck right now.

~8~

It seemed a bit of Angel had rubbed off on him, his luck had held out as the Doctor walked out of the Acid Room and down the tunnels, the Gangers, now fully-formed, following behind him, "Now, I know it's hard for you to hold your fully human form, that's why you keep shifting between the Flesh stages, but do try, it'll make the others less scared of you..."

Ganger Cleaves stopped and turned her head around 180 degrees, hearing a noise. But, seeing nothing, she continued on as the Original Cleaves peeked her head out to watch them leave.

~8~

Ganger Jen sat at one side of the table in the dining hall while Rory stood beside her, Buzzer, Jimmy, and Dicken sitting across from her while Amy stood across from Rory, Angel sitting on the Ganger's other side with her arm around the girl's shoulders.

"Where's Jen?" Buzzer demanded, leaning forward to almost sneer at her, "What have you done with her?"

"I haven't seen her," Ganger Jen replied, "I _swear_. But, look, I'm _her_. I'm just like her. I'm real."

"You're a _copy_. You're just pretending to be like her."

"Buzzer please," Angel murmured, "Hush," she knew how much that hurt the girl to hear, could feel her flinch as Buzzer said it, to have all those thoughts and feelings of the Original Jen, to be exactly like her, and have someone renounce you, tell you you were fake...it _hurt_.

"Rory, um, we don't really know anything about them yet…" Amy whispered to Rory.

"Well…" he began.

"And…"

"I know that she's afraid and she needs our help," he cut in.

"Rory…"

"Amy," Angel cut in, getting up and moving around Ganger Jen to stand on Rory's other side so she could speak to the ginger a big more privately, "Don't you think he can empathize with them a bit?" Amy looked at her with a frown, "Being a duplicate of a real person, having _all_ their memories and feelings but knowing you're not actually real?" Amy looked down, "He was plastic, they are Flesh, it's not all that different when you think about it."

Amy sighed and nodded, understanding. It did make sense and...she should probably try to see them as real. She had seen Rory as just...Rory when he'd been a plastic Centurion, why should Flesh be different. It was just...she KNEW Rory, what he was like, she could tell he was real in every way that mattered. She didn't know these people, what they were like, whether the Flesh would take the darker parts of them and attack, what they'd act like. She knew Rory, she trusted him, he would never hurt her.

The same couldn't be said for the Gangers, especially not after Ganger Cleaves hissed and freaked out and ran off on them. They...alarmed her. She was trying to see them as people, to trust them, because Angel did, she believed they were real and had as much potential to be good as humans did, and Angel was an excellent judge of character. But that was just it, they had the potential to be good...so they had the potential to be evil as well.

"Jimmy, Buzzer, come on, you guys," Ganger Jen pleaded, "We've worked together for _two years_!"

"I work with Jennifer Lucas, not _you_ ," Buzzer nearly spat.

"Ok," Amy sighed, giving in for the moment, "Let's not do anything at all..."

"Until the Doctor gets here," both she and the Doctor said as he entered the room.

"Hello!" the Doctor smiled at them, the Gangers entering behind him.

"This is…" Jimmy stood up.

"You're telling me," his Ganger agreed, both of them eyeing each other.

"Alright, Doctor, you've brought us together, now what?" Ganger Cleaves looked at him.

"Before we do anything," he said, "I have one _very_ important question, has anybody got a pair of shoes I could borrow? Size 10. Although I should warn you, I have very wide feet," they looked down to see him wearing his socks.

Angel shook her head, "Did your shoes get flooded with radiation again?" she asked him, a small smile on her face, recalling when he'd gone 'barefoot on the moon.'

The Doctor...actually smiled at that, it being a memory he still had, "No," he laughed, "No bunions either," he added, before blinking at that and looking at his feet...

~oOo~

_He paused, seeing an old woman working the controls of the machine as it sparked with electricity and made odd sounds, "Have you seen…" he began to stutter, playing the part of a frightened human, "There are these things, those great big space rhino things, I mean rhinos from space. And we're on the moon. Great big space-rhinos with guns on the moon. And I only came in for my bunions, look," he gestured at his feet, "They're alright now, perfectly good treatment, I said to my wife, Angie, 'I'd recommend this place to anyone,' but then we end up on the moon. And did I mention the rhinos?"_

_"Hold him!" the woman ordered as the other Slab stepped forward and grabbed hold of him._

~oOo~

The Doctor swallowed and looked at Angel, shaking his head but...not pushing the thought aside. It...it wasn't like the other memories or fantasies he had. Those were...moments like him being in a cupboard with her or kissing her, that he _knew couldn't_ have happened, so they had to be fantasies...but this? This was...he remembered that, he remembered speaking to the Plasmavore...but he DIDN'T remember saying THAT during it, calling Angel his wife...

It was like there were two sets of memories in his head now, and he didn't know why or which was real...

"Here," he heard someone say and looked up to see Dicken holding out a pair of Size 10/wide shoes, and blinked.

"Did I say 10? I meant 11," he muttered, his jaw tensing though Dicken just shrugged and moved to put the shoes back, Jimmy going to get a pair instead.

Amy rolled her eyes at that, she knew what had happened, the Doctor just didn't want _Dicken's_ shoes. He really didn't like the man did he?

~8~

Cleaves angrily pulled items from her locker, "That's it, Doctor, befriend them, team up with them, why don't you? Make a football team. How about that? You're going to have us all together, singing campfire songs," she grabbed what she needed and slammed the door shut.

~8~

The Doctor sat at the edge of the table in the dining hall, wearing Jimmy's brown boots...which were admittedly a size too big but being not-wide had helped a bit, that and tying them very tight. Amy stood behind him, eyeing what looked like two factions before her. To one side were the Originals and on the other the Gangers with Rory standing beside Ganger Jen, the two of them in between the groups though Jen was on the Ganger side. Angel stood by the Originals, not because she agreed with them in being 'more real' but just to try to maintain the balance. There were 4 Gangers across from them and only 3 originals what with Jen and Cleaves missing, now it was even, 4 and 4.

"The Flesh was never merely moss," the Doctor explained, trying to keep his gaze from turning to Angel who was, in standing with the humans, in between Jimmy and Dicken, with Dicken a little too close and seeming a little too happy about being beside her. Yet, despite his best efforts, he couldn't help but tighten his hold on the edge of the table where he was sitting with his hands on either side of him, his knuckles were turning white but he hardly noticed. He didn't know what it was but _every_ instinct was telling him to get Angel away from Dicken, that she didn't belong beside the boy, that she...well...that she belonged beside HIM, "These are not copies. The storm has hardwired them. They are becoming people."

"With souls?" Jimmy asked.

"Rubbish," Dicken scoffed, "Ah-choo!"

"Bless you," Ganger Dicken called as Ganger Cleaves looked at him, "What?"

"You shouldn't say that," Angel frowned at Dicken, making the Doctor smirk to see that she was unhappy with the man, "Everything has a soul, even rocks."

"Yes, and people especially," the Doctor agreed, beaming when he saw Angel look at _him_ and _smile_ , "We were all jelly, once. Little jelly eggs, sitting in goop."

"Yeah, thanks," Amy eyed him, "Too much information."

"We are not talking about an accident that needs to be mopped up. We are talking about sacred _life_. Do you understand?" he looked between the two groups till they nodded, "Good. Now, the TARDIS is trapped in an acid pool…"

"10 quid Amy," Angel called with a smirk as Amy shook her head.

"Were you betting on me again!?" the Doctor cried, exasperated, Angel seemed to have taken to amusing Rory and Amy with tiny bets about things he would do in the future. Not fair at all.

"The TARIDS?" Angel reminded him.

He sighed and got back to point, "Once I can reach...her," he started to smile again, seeing Angel absolutely beam at that. He'd called the TARDIS an 'it' for so long...but...after Idris, after speaking with it, finding out it could think and feel and communicate (as it seemed it had with Angel all along), how could he keep thinking of it as just a ship or a box or a machine? As Angel had started to call the TARDIS 'Sissy' he had started to call the old box 'girl' as well, "I can get you all off this island, humans and Gangers, eh, how does that sound?"

"Can we get home for Adam's birthday?" Jimmy looked at him.

"What about me?" his Ganger asked, "He's my son, too."

" _You?_ You _really_ think that?"

"I feel it."

"Oh, so you were there when he was born, were you?" Jimmy glared.

But his Ganger just smiled, "Yeah. I drank about 8 pints of tea and they told me I had a wee boy and I just burst out laughing," he laughed, "No idea why. I miss home. As much as you."

"Look, I'm not going to lie to you," the Doctor cut in, "It's a right odd mess, this. But, as you might say up north, 'oh, well, I'll just go to t' foot of the stairs.' Ha ha. Eh, by by, gum…" he trailed off when he saw no one else was laughing, "Or not. Good. Right. The first step is we get everyone together, then get everyone safe, then get everyone out of here."

"Well we're almost to step one then," Angel remarked, "We just need to find the original Jennifer and Cleaves."

"I'll go and look for them," Jimmy called, heading for the door.

"I'll give you a hand, if you like," his Ganger offered, "Cover more ground."

Jimmy eyed him a moment, before smiling, "Yeah. Ok. Thanks," he nodded, starting to think the Gangers _were_ really as Angel had implied earlier, this was HIM. He was naturally a helpful and considerate man, why wouldn't his Ganger be?

With everyone watching both Jimmys get along, they didn't notice the original Cleaves enter behind them…though one did. Angel looked over, spotting her and stiffened at the sight of what Cleaves was holding.

"This circus has gone on long enough!" Cleaves cried, a crackle of electric spouting from the device in her hand.

"Oh, great," her Ganger remarked dryly as Angel slowly made her way towards the Gangers this time, knowing Cleaves would try to attack them and not about to let that happen, "You see, that is just so typically me."

"Doctor, tell _it_ to shut up."

"Please, no," the Doctor spun around, "No! No!"

"Circuit probe," she wiggled the device, "Fires about, oh, 40,000 volts. It would kill any one of us, so I guess she'll work on Gangers, just the same."

"It's interesting you refer to them as 'it,' but you call a glorified cattle prod a 'she.'"

"When the _real_ people are safely off this island, then I'll happily talk philosophy over a pint with you, Doctor."

"What are you going to do to them?" Amy eyed the woman.

"Sorry, they're monsters, mistakes. They have to be destroyed."

"Give me the probe, Cleaves," the Doctor stepped forward.

"We always have to take charge, don't we, Miranda?" her Ganger asked, "Even when we don't really know what the hell is going on."

Ganger Buzzer made to charge at Cleaves, but Angel pulled him back, yanking him to the side just as Cleaves fired at where he'd been standing. She moved in front of the Ganger, knowing Cleaves wouldn't risk killing what she deemed as a real human. Cleaves glared her and, instead, turned her probe on Ganger Jen, making the girl gasp and duck.

"Jen?" Rory moved Jen behind him, seeing what Angel had.

"You nearly killed Buzzer!" Ganger Jen cried at Cleaves, "She'll try it to us all if we trust you!"

The Doctor looked at them, "Wait, wait. Just wait."

Rory ran forward with a cry of "No!" when he saw Cleaves about to fire the probe once more, knocking her to the ground and grabbing the probe away from her as the Gangers fled from the room at the opportunity.

"You idiot!" Cleaves glared at Rory.

"Wait!" the Doctor called after the Gangers, Rory getting up as did Cleaves when he rounded on her, "Look at what you've done!"

"If it's war, then it's war. You don't _get_ it, Doctor. How can you? It's us and them now…" she turned to Jimmy, Dicken, and Buzzer, "Us...and them."

"Us and them," Dicken agreed as Buzzer nodded wholeheartedly, Angel frowning and shaking her head at them.

Jimmy sighed, "Us and them."

The Doctor sighed, unhappy at the turn of events as Angel looked down sadly, the pit in her stomach was firm now and she knew what that meant…Ganger Jen was lost to them.

~8~

The Gangers stood in the Acid Room, their faces half-formed. Ganger Jimmy passed out the acid suits as Ganger Jen stood on the steps by the door, speaking to them, "You tried, we all tried, and look what they tried to do. Us and them now."

"Us and them," Ganger Jimmy said.

"Us and them," Ganger Dicken agreed as Ganger Buzzer nodded.

"Jennifer…" Ganger Cleaves began, actually sounding hesitant about it all.

"Buzzer warned you it was a trick," Ganger Jen continued, "And he almost _died_ because of it. If we want to live, then it's time to go to war. I'll take care of the spare one running around out there," and with that she turned and left.

Ganger Cleaves frowned as she watched the girl go, she seemed to conveniently forget that a 'real' woman had saved Buzzer, that a 'real' man had protected her.

~8~

Jennifer limped into the Flesh Room, panting against the wall.

"Trust me," a voice whispered from the back of the room, a pale hand resting on a pillar.

Jennifer gasped as she saw it, the unnaturally pale hand, and ran from the room, terrified.

~8~

Amy and Rory stood off to the side, quietly talking, "Don't be like that," he was whispering to Amy, knowing she was having trouble believing the Gangers could be real people given how they'd reacted, "She's real."

Jimmy, Buzzer, Dicken, and Cleaves were having their own quiet discussion as well when Jimmy looked at Cleaves, seeming to do as Rory was and defend the Gangers, "You nearly _killed_ him!"

The Doctor winced at that, knowing what the Gangers were likely to do in retaliation, realizing exactly who they'd come after and who would probably get caught in the crossfire as a result, "The most fortified and defendable room in the monastery?" he called out, "Cleaves! The most fortified and defendable room in the monastery?"

"The chapel," she replied, turning to face him.

"Thank you."

"Only one way in, stone walls, 2 feet thick."

"You've crossed one hell of a line, Cleaves. You nearly killed one of them. They'll be coming back. In a big way," he glanced at Angel and swallowed hard, unable to help but see her standing in front of Buzzer as Cleaves aimed the cattle prod at her, not backing down but terrifying him at the same time, "Come on," he gathered them, needing to get Angel (and them all) somewhere safe.

~8~

The Gangers, dressed in acid suits, marched through the ruins towards their enemies.

~8~

Jennifer walked cautiously through the tunnels, "Jennifer!" Rory called out in the distance.

"Rory?" she looked up, limping on, panting, not even noticing Ganger Jen pressed against the ceiling above her, smirking, the Flesh could replicate more than just appearance.

~8~

In another section of tunnels, the Originals and the TARDIS crew ran down a tunnel towards the chapel, "What about the flares?" Jimmy asked.

"We'll worry about the flares when we're locked inside," the Doctor replied, the four humans rushed through, leaving the Doctor, Amy, Angel, and Rory in the hall just outside the doorway, Rory a few feet away from them and not moving, "Rory Pond!"

Rory looked over, hearing one of the Jens scream in the distance, and hesitated.

"Rory?" Amy called, "Come on!"

"Jen's out there," Angel realized, looking at Rory.

He nodded, "She's out there and she's on her own," he looked at Angel who nodded, knowing he had to do this, understanding why he had to. He nodded back and turned to head down the tunnel.

"Well, if she's got any sense, then she's hiding," the Doctor called after him, "Rory!"

"I can't leave her out there!" Rory defended.

"Rory!"

He looked at Angel, "I know you understand."

Angel nodded, smiling softly at how brave and determined her companion had grown to be, "Be careful."

"Don't listen to her!" Amy shouted, "Get in here! Get in here!"

The Gangers arrived at the end of the hall and Rory dashed off through a side corridor, "There they are!" Cleaves shouted.

"Amy!" the Doctor turned and grabbed Amy by the arm, pulling her through the doorway.

"Rory!" she struggled as the Doctor held her back long enough for Angel to slam the door shut.

The Doctor turned around and grabbed her by the arms as the others blocked the door with what they could find, "Amy, Amy, they are not after _him_ , they're after us."

"And Ganger Jen won't let..." Angel trailed off, frowning as she walked further into the room, staring at the back of it, at the darkened shadows, distracted.

"Why?" a voice whispered from the darkness a moment later, "Why?"

The Doctor spun around to see Angel staring at the shadows and strode over to her side, tense and ready should anything try to attack her, "Show yourself. Show yourself!"

"Ah!" the voice groaned in pain.

"Oh my God..." Angel breathed, realizing what it was, what had happened, who the voice belonged to...

~8~

Rory ran through the tunnels, "Jennifer!"

~8~

The Doctor followed Angel as she slowly approached the dark corner, "Doctor!" Amy shouted, "Angel!"

"Pass me the barrel!" Cleaves called.

"We need something heavy," Dicken looked around, "Anything you can find."

Jimmy laughed, "This is insane. We're fighting ourselves."

"Yes, it's insane," the Doctor agreed, "And it's about to get even more insanerer. Is that a word?" he glanced at Angel, pouting a moment when she just kept staring at the corner and not paying attention to him, so he turned to the corner as well, "Show yourself! Right now!"

"It's alright," Angel called out, stepping forward and looking pointedly at a certain area, "You can come out."

"Doctor!" Amy continued, "Angel! We are trapped in here and Rory is out there, with them. Hello! We can't get to the TARDIS and we can't even leave the island!"

"Correct, in one respect Pond," the Doctor said, though his mouth didn't move.

He stared at the dark corner, stunned, as the others slowly looked around, realizing HE wasn't the one talking.

"It's frightening, unexpected, frankly, a total, utter, splattering mess on the carpet, but I'm certain, 100 percent certain, that we can work this out," and then, from the shadows, emerged a Ganger Doctor with a half-formed face, "Trust me," he smiled, fixing his bowtie, "I'm the Doctor."

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we have Ganger Doctor! Poor Dicken, joining Cleaves against the Gangers didn't help his chances with Angel did it lol? Not that it would really help now that there are 2 Doctors hanging around. I'm really excited for that, seeing how the Doctor reacts with his Ganger there, and he thought DICKEN was competition? Oh boy ;)


	19. The Almost People: Suspicion

They watched in horror as the Ganger Doctor screamed and twisted as he struggled to stabilize and remain fully-formed, "What's happening?" he cried, rubbing the side of his head, "I wonder if we'll get back. Yes, one day..." before he winced, "Agh! I've reversed the polarity of the neutron flow!"

"The Flesh is struggling to cope with our past regenerations," the Doctor realized, reaching out to himself as Angel looked on in tears, "Hold on!"

The Ganger twisted and held out a hand to the Doctor, his voice shifting to his fourth incarnation, "Would you like a jelly baby?" he winced, forcing his voice back, "Why? Why!?"

"Why? Why what?"

"Hello," he straightened up, his voice shifting to his last incarnation and Angel's hearts nearly broke at the sound, "I'm the Doctor," he shook his head, his voice returning, "No, let it go, we've moved on!"

Angel closed her eyes, starting to shake at seeing the Doctor in so much pain. She couldn't feel him, that Doctor, he wasn't her Doctor, her Mate, not even as a Flesh version, but it still hurt to see him in pain and know there was nothing she could do to help him. And then to hear his last self speak, the voice she hadn't heard in nearly 2 and a half years, the voice she only heard in her dreams anymore, to hear it talking...she didn't think it would hurt this much but...that was his voice. That was the last voice she'd ever heard of her Mate saying he loved her. His 9th self hadn't, though she knew he felt it, his current self hadn't and she wasn't sure what he felt for her. One minute he was sweet and worrying about her, the next he was flirting with River. She wasn't even sure HE knew what he felt for her and that worried her.

His 9th and 10th self had known love, had felt it for her, realized what it was, but his current self? If he hadn't realized or understood what he felt for her, was it because it _wasn't_ love? Was it something else? Was it just fond feelings for the last of his species? She didn't know, she couldn't understand the feelings coming from him because _he_ didn't understand them himself and they kept _shifting_. Every time she felt like something similar to love was coming through from him for her it would change so suddenly, shift to alarm or from him being distracted or to something else and she just...didn't know. And it was killing her not to know.

You could love someone and not be IN love with them. Did he just love her as the last Time Lady? Or was he falling in love with her?

...or was he falling, or had he fallen, in love with River?

"Hold on, hold on, you can stabilize!" the Doctor encouraged, pulling Angel's attention back, making her open her eyes.

She saw Amy move to walk over to the Doctor's side but Jimmy pulling her back as the Ganger turned to the Doctor, grabbing him by the lapels, "I've reversed the jelly baby of the neutron flow," he blinked, tears in his eyes, "Would you like a...Doctor…" his face contorted in pain, "...Doctor...I'm...I'm the...I _can't_ ," he whispered.

"No, listen, hold on. Hold on!"

"NO!" the Ganger shoved him away, his face morphing half-formed once more, "Agh!" he gripped his head, struggling, as the team worked on barricading the door.

"I think I liked it best when they were being nosy," Buzzer remarked.

~8~

The Gangers walked down the hall towards the chapel where their Original selves were hiding, ready for war.

~8~

"Doctor, we need you," Amy looked over, Angel never having looked away, "Get over here!"

Angel just kept watching the Ganger Doctor as he stood there, calmer, his face fully formed now, but she could see in his expression he was still in pain. She didn't know what to do. She had always known what to do to help the Doctor in the past, to comfort him, to ease his pain, to make him feel better, but now...this was an internal, physical pain, she didn't know what she could say or do that would help lessen it. She bit her lip, seeing him wince, she'd been doing that a lot it seemed, biting her lip whenever he winced, which made sense, it did hurt her every time he hurt, even if she couldn't physically feel it.

"Hello!" the Ganger Doctor smiled at Amy, though his gaze was pulled a bit to Angel in the process.

The Original Doctor hadn't even seemed to notice Amy speak as he was looking at Angel and his Ganger, back and forth, frowning when he saw her bite her lip and tense whenever his Ganger cried out. Which, to be honest, he thought was rather silly of himself to do. Angel was tensing because his Ganger was in pain, and really that meant she was concerned because HE was in pain too. Which should mean the world to him, to know she cared about him that much that it hurt her to see him in pain, much like it killed him to see her upset or hurt or pained or anything less than happy and laughing, but a part of his mind couldn't get over the fact that she wasn't looking at HIM. She was looking at someone else and feeling terribly for them. It was him, yes, but it wasn't HIM, she wasn't looking at HIM...

And that bothered him.

A lot.

"Doctor!"

"Cybermats," the Doctor winced, turning back to his Ganger, snapped out of his thoughts.

"Do we have time for this?" the Ganger Doctor looked at him, and away from Angel, pouting about it.

The Doctor's eyes narrowed, seeing the Ganger's glance drift back to Angel, who STILL hadn't looked away from him, "We make time," he took a step closer, making the Ganger look at him once more, which made him smile, he felt...quite a bit like he did when Dicken looked at Angel, and it was HIM! Oh this was doing his head in, he was actually cross with himself for looking at Angel, "I'd like more proof that you're me. Cybermats?"

"Created by the Cybermen. They kill by feeding off brainwaves."

Amy rolled her eyes and turned back to the door, trusting Angel to keep an eye on them, "Are you sure there aren't any big guns with bits on?" she asked the crew.

"Yeah, big guns would be good right now," Buzzer agreed.

"Why would we have _guns_?" Jimmy leaned against the door, "We're a _factory_. We mine…"

The door started to hiss and smoke.

"Acid…" Amy realized just what the Gangers on the other side of the door were doing, what they were using to get in as Jimmy leapt away from the door.

"Rory and Amy may not trust both of us," the Ganger commented as he stepped up to move beside the Doctor...and in between him and Angel.

The Doctor glanced over at his Ganger, frowning at that, HE'D been standing next to Angel first! But he just leaned forward more to look on the Ganger's other side at her, "But Angel will, won't you?"

"See!" the Ganger clapped and pointed at Angel as she nodded, "She would know if I were evil. She's brilliant like that," he smiled at her.

"She's always brilliant," the Doctor countered, straightening to frown at his Ganger.

"She always will be," the Ganger agreed, turning to the Doctor, his own smile falling into a line.

"Till the Universe ends."

"For Forever."

"Yes."

"Good."

Angel frowned, looking between them, confused as to why they both seemed to be getting tenser the more they spoke with each other, why their words were getting shorter and their expressions more...firm? If that was the word, it was like they were both sizing the other up.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Inevitably."

"I'm glad we're on the same..."

"Wavelength. You see, great minds..."

"Exactly. So, what's the plan?"

"Save them all, humans and Gangers."

"Sounds wonderful."

"Is that what you were thinking?"

"It's just so inspiring to hear me say it."

"I know!"

"What do you think Angel?" the Doctor turned to her as did his Ganger.

But Angel just rubbed her head, knowing, without needing her abilities, that she was going to have a massive migraine because of this and...she was afraid that she'd just...end up hurt in the end too. The Ganger...the way he looked at her, it was exactly the same as the Doctor did, and she knew it meant his Ganger didn't know who she was to him either, he didn't remember the Mating. The Doctor...sometimes he hurt her in little ways, not even realizing he did it, how he'd brush something off or deny something, she didn't want another Doctor to do the same. One...one she could probably handle-ish, but two? She just didn't want it to hurt twice as much.

"What do I think of what?" she asked.

"Are we inspiring?" the Ganger looked at her, both he and the Doctor seeming to wait for her confirmation.

"You always are," she shrugged, glancing between them, "Doubly so now I suppose."

They both beamed at that, "Thank you," they said, before turning to each other, "She was talking to me!"

"Doctor, come on!" Amy snapped, just knowing, not needing to be Angel to do it, that this was going to get ridiculous rather soon. It was SO obvious the Doctor had been jealous of the human/Ganger Dicken vying for Angel's attention...she could only imagine what would come of him competing against himself for the same.

"So, what now, Doctor?" the Ganger Doctor got back to task.

"Well, time to get cracking, Doctor," he grinned back and they both walked towards the others.

"Hello!" they greeted as one, "Sorry..."

"But we had to establish a few..." the Ganger began.

"Ground rules," the Doctor finished, glancing at Angel as she stepped past them to see her nod subtly at Amy, who was looking down at their shoes, seeing the Ganger wearing his normal black boots and him wearing the borrowed brown ones.

"Formulate a..."

"Protocol."

"Protocol. Very posh."

"A protocol between us. Otherwise..."

"It gets horribly embarrassing."

"And potentially confusing."

"I'm glad you've solved the problem of confusing," Amy shot back.

"That's sarcasm," the Ganger pointed out.

"She's very good at sarcasm," the Doctor agreed.

"Much like Angel is good at encouragement."

"Yes, she's spectacular."

"Brilliant."

The Doctor turned to him, "Amazing."

The Ganger's eyes narrowed a bit, "Wonderful."

" _Fantastic_ ," the Doctor smirked when the Ganger glared at him, both of them knowing that word had won, though neither saw Angel shaking her head at them, SO confused.

Amy though rolled her eyes, were all Time Lords just oblivious? The two men had just had a compliment war about Angel and she was looking at them like they had two...well, she supposed they DID have two heads. But she could feel a bit of sadness hit her that Angel couldn't see why they were acting this way. Even if the Time Lords didn't know it, SHE did, and it actually hurt that Angel didn't. She talked to Angel, quite a bit since the Silence thing, and she knew that the kiss River had shared with the Doctor had REALLY gotten to her. It was one thing to see someone you love be sweet or flirty with another, Rory had sympathized entirely during that talk which had made her feel terrible and deservedly so, but it was another to actually SEE them kiss someone else. Rory had been thankful he'd only _learned_ about it. She still felt so badly for doing that to her husband and had sworn to spend the rest of her life making it up to him and showing him how much she really loved him. But Angel...the girl couldn't see how sweet the Doctor was being to her and why because all she saw when she looked at him was him kissing River. It had taken Rory a while to get over learning about her own kiss, but Angel had SEEN it, had seen the woman who hated her and who was so cold to her kissing the man she loved, and the Doctor hadn't pushed her away. _That_ was what she knew really got to Angel, he had pushed HER away when she'd kissed him, but he hadn't pushed River away.

"Breathe!" the two Doctors suddenly yelled, turning to her.

"What?" Amy nearly jumped out of her skin as she gasped, startled out of her thoughts.

"We have to get you off this island," the Ganger Doctor continued.

"And the Gangers too," the Doctor added.

"Sorry, would you like a memo from the last meeting?" Cleaves called as they struggled to try and hold the door shut while avoiding the acid, "They're trying to _kill_ us!"

"They're scared," Angel spoke up as the Doctors pointed at her with smiles...that soon turned to frowns when they saw the other doing it.

"Doctor, we're trapped in here," Amy reminded him.

"I don't think so," the Doctor shook his head, "The Flesh bowl is fed by cabling from above."

"But where are the Earthing conduits?" the Ganger finished. The two Doctors looked over at Angel as she began to walk over to the back of the room and nodded down towards a grilling by the back wall.

"All this piping must go down into a tunnel or a shaft or something, yes?" the Doctor continued, walking over to her, "With us?" he pulled off the paneling to reveal a grate, "Yowza! An escape route!"

Amy looked at Angel, mouthing 'Yowza?' Angel could only shake her head and rub it, yup, there was the headache.

"You know, I'm starting to get a sense of just how impressive it is to hang out with me," the Doctor grinned at his Ganger.

"Do we tend to say 'Yowza?'" the Ganger asked him.

"I don't know," he remarked, thoughtful, "Angel, what do you think, do you like the Yowz?"

"I think we really _don't_ have time," Angel reminded them.

"Right yes," the Ganger nodded and moved to the grate the moment she spoke, pulling it off the wall and smiling up at Angel as though hoping for a 'job well done,' beaming when she smiled and started to make her way into the vent.

Amy watched as the Ganger actually stuck his tongue out at the glowering Doctor and made his way in after Angel.

"Well come on!" the Doctor snapped at the humans, angrily pouting at the vent as they scurried to get in.

~8~

The Gangers broke into the chapel, only to find it empty. Ganger Cleaves turned, hearing the sonic whirring, and moved over to the grate, seeing the Doctor and her Original self on the other side. She hissed in anger as they shuffled away.

~8~

Ganger Jen stood by a wall in one of the tunnels, drawing circles of Flesh on it with her finger, "Stop. Stop. Stop, stop!" she pulled back and strode purposefully down the corridor.

As soon as she was gone, Rory peered around from a side tunnel and cautiously followed her.

~8~

The Originals, the Doctor, Amy, Angel, and the Ganger Doctor headed down another tunnel, on the lookout for the Gangers around every bend despite Angel assuring them they weren't nearby, the Doctor leading the way with Angel just behind him, in between him and the others, HE'D managed to take the lead this time and be at the front with Angel, not his stupid old Ganger.

"The army will send a recon team," Buzzer was saying.

"We need to contact the mainland," Cleaves added.

"What about Rory and Jen?" Amy asked, "They are both out there."

"Takes a long time to find someone in a maze," the Doctor commented, before pausing to think with a smile, "Unless you're Angel…ps..."

"Psychic," his Ganger cut in.

"Thief," she countered automatically, the Ganger smirking victoriously at the Doctor who pouted, seeming about to say something when Angel turned to Cleaves, "You have a map of the monastery, yes? A computer?"

Cleaves eyed her a moment a bit surprised she had known but nodded, "If we can get power running, we can scan for them."

For some reason though, they all started to cough as a smoke rose before them, "Doctor, you said earlier to breathe," Amy muttered.

"Very important, Pond," he nodded, "Breathe."

"Yeah, I'm struggling to."

"It's the acid," Angel coughed.

"It's interacting with the stone, creating an asphyxiant miasma," the Doctor nodded.

"A what?" Cleaves gagged.

"Choky gas!" the Ganger exclaimed, "Extra heavy. If we can get above it..."

"The evac. tower."

Angel winced, trying not to breathe the choky gas, "This way!" she quickly rushed off, the group following behind her, the Originals wondering just how she knew where to go because she was actually heading in the right direction for the tower.

~8~

Ganger Cleaves sat in the Acid Room with the other Gangers, rubbing her temples, "Damned headaches. I'm so tired."

"They could be anywhere," Ganger Buzz muttered.

"How are we going to find them?" Ganger Jimmy wondered.

"Think about it," Ganger Cleaves sighed, "With all that gas, my guess would be the evac. tower. Get above it. Try to get power up."

"So? Let's stop them."

"It's a narrow doorway. I could defend it easy enough. So can she," she grimaced and rubbed her forehead again.

~8~

The group ran into the evac. tower, the Doctor and Amy first, followed by the Ganger Doctor (who had managed to run ahead to Angel's side) and Angel, and the Originals, all coughing. Cleaves pushed forward and headed right for the control panels, her crew following behind her, "Oh!" Amy coughed more, "I think I coughed so hard, I pulled a muscle or something."

"It'll get better," Angel reassured her, starting to be able to take a few deep breaths, "You'll be able to breathe in a moment."

Amy took a few deep breaths and nodded, feeling better. The Doctor moved to check the front of the machinery, his Ganger ducking behind it, both seeing Cleaves unable to get it working or powered up, as a bell chimed the hour.

"It's midnight," Jimmy remarked, "It's Adam's birthday. My son's five. Happy birthday, bud."

Angel smiled at that, "Well then, Happy Birthday Adam," which made Jimmy smile at her.

~8~

"Happy birthday, Adam," Ganger Jimmy breathed, hearing the bells, "He'll be so excited. Out of bed at the crack of dawn. It's funny, he's got this wee dance he does when he gets overexcited."

"Listen to me!" Ganger Jen ran in, her face half-formed, "I tried to block the memories, but now I know, I _must_ remember. It's the eyes. The eyes are the last to go."

"What are you talking about?" Ganger Buzzer glared at her, all of them uncomfortable with the thought of trying to remember their last thoughts as Flesh, it was connected, all connected, their Flesh selves had the potential to remember what it was like being their other older Flesh selves.

"When they destroy us, the eyes are the last things to melt. And there's one question in those eyes, _why_? Why should we suffer for the sake of Human Beings?"

"I heard in India, there's over ten million Gangers," Ganger Dicken remarked.

"We can reach out, inspire them to rise up."

"Revolution?" Ganger Cleaves looked at her, "Look, I just...I just want to be left to live in _peace_ , Jen."

"They will _melt_ you. Have you become so human that you've forgotten the truth? Don't you remember all the times you were decommissioned, or should I say executed?"

"No. We _don't_ remember."

"Well, _I_ do. It's us or them."

"She's right," Ganger Jimmy sighed. Ganger Dicken stood up and walked over to Jen, gripping her hand while Gangers Buzzer, Jimmy, and Cleaves did the same, all holding hands.

"I have a plan," Ganger Jen smirked, "And it'll destroy them all."

~8~

Cleaves stood behind the console with the Doctors, watching as they popped up and down as they fixed the machinery, "Can you really get the power back?" she moved around to the front to check on the controls, see if it was working yet.

"There's always some power floating around," the Doctor on the right said, ducking down behind the console as the other Doctor stood up.

"Sticking to the wires, like bits of lint," the Ganger Doctor stated.

Angel rubbed her head, "Could you please not finish each other's..."

"Sentences?" the Doctor popped up, before seeing she really seemed to have a migraine from it all, the gas and the run and her own encounter with the Flesh, everything she'd felt, probably hadn't been a good mix, "Of course," he said softly.

"Yes," the Ganger nodded, offering her a smile, and they both ducked down again.

"Hang on," Amy frowned, "You said that the TARDIS was stuck in acid, so won't she be damaged?"

"No," Angel smiled, "Sissy's a tough old girl."

"Tough, old, _sexy_ ," the Doctor corrected.

"No, tough, _dependable_ , sexy," the Ganger corrected even then.

"Come on," Amy rolled her eyes, "Ok, how can...how can you _both_ be real?"

"Well, because...we are," the Doctor shrugged, "I'm the Doctor."

"So am I," the Ganger nodded, "We contain the knowledge of over 900 years of experience. We both wear the same bowtie, which is cool."

"Because bowties are."

"And always will be."

Angel swallowed, glancing at Amy a moment before the Doctors, "You weren't linked up to the Flesh though," she felt like that was important, the difference between linked through a harness and a living consciousness.

"It must've been after I examined it," the Doctor shrugged, thinking about how, after the lightning had stuck the vat of Flesh, he'd gone back to examine it once more, isolated the cells, his own DNA, that reacted to his sonic, collecting to form his Ganger. The vat had been animated, had had the potential to be animated only after the storm, but it needed activation, it needed a signal, which was important, _a signal_ , so he'd activated HIS cells. He hadn't wanted Angel, even a Ganger her, to suffer through what he'd seen the humans react to the other Gangers, "Thus, a new, genuine Doctor was created."

"Ta da!" the Ganger held up his hands.

"But one of you was here first," Amy shook her head.

"After the Flesh scanned me, I had an accident with a puddle of acid," the Doctor told her, "Now new shoes, a situation which did not confront me learned self here."

"That satisfy you, Pond?" the Ganger smiled.

"Don't call me Pond, please," she remarked stiffly, and both the Doctors and Angel looked at her, "What?"

"Interesting…"

"He thinks you like him," Angel nodded at the Doctor, "More than him," she nodded at the Ganger.

"No, I..." Amy sighed, turning to the Ganger, "Look, you're fine and everything, but _he_ is the Doctor. No offense. Being almost the Doctor is pretty damn impressive."

"Being _almost_ the Doctor's like being no Doctor at all," he frowned

"Don't overreact..."

"You might as well call me...Smith."

"Smith?"

"John Smith."

Angel laughed a bit, "Then I get to be Angela Jones."

The Ganger pointed at her, "Smith and Jones, no better team eh?"

"None," she smiled at him, not seeing the Doctor pouting at that, at how the other him was getting attention now.

And so, he let out a sudden cheer, "Communication a go-go!" beaming when Angel looked away from the Ganger and at him.

The Originals ran to the console and got it keyed up, "Find Rory!" Amy demanded, "Show me the scanny, tracky screen. Come on, Rory, let's be having you."

Cleaves pulled up a screen, "There's no sign of him anywhere."

"Come on, baby, show yourself."

"It'll be ok Amy," Angel moved to her side, putting a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it in reassurance.

~8~

The Gangers entered the communications room that night, "You're right, there's power," Ganger Jimmy called as he moved to examine a computer.

"Well, boys, I don't know much, but I know my own minds," Ganger Cleaves remarked, "She'll be straight on the commlink to the mainland. Let's see if we can intercept…" she typed something into the computer and a moment later they could hear the original Cleaves.

"St. John's calling the mainland. Are you receiving me, captain? Come in."

~8~

"We'll _never_ get a signal through this storm," Cleaves sighed as she hunched over the transmitter, "St. John's calling the mainland. Come in, this is urgent."

"We're just about reading you, St. John's," a man called back, "How are you doing? We've had all kinds of trouble here."

"Request immediate evacuation. We're under attack. The storm's affected our Gangers. They're running amok."

"Your _Gangers_?"

"Yes, our Gangers are attacking us. We need you to take us off the island immediately and wipe them out."

The Doctor and his Ganger exchanged a look as Angel frowned, "That's not part of the plan Cleaves," she reminded her softly, but Cleaves waved her off, making the Doctors frown at that as well.

"Copy that, St. John's. Shuttle's dispatched. Hang on."

"You'll need to airlift us off the roof of the evac. tower. And captain, any further transmission sent by me must come with the following codeword. I'm typing it, in case they're listening in."

~8~

"Oh," Ganger Cleaves smiled, listening in, "See how smart I am? That's why I'm paid the big bucks."

"Got it," the man called back, "We'll swing in, get you out and decommission the Flesh."

"Jennifer's right," she sighed, "We're going to have to fight if we want to survive."

~8~

Ganger Jen arrived at a machine in one of the tunnels, putting her palm over the scanner, "Thermostatic override rejected," the computer announced, "Can only be operated by recognized source."

"I _am_ recognized! I'm Jennifer Lucas!" she tried again but the screen just read, 'Non-Human Access Prohibited.' She huffed at yet another reminder that she wasn't 'real.'

~8~

"We've got to get out of here," Buzzer remarked as the rest of the crew prepared for the evacuation.

"We're _not_ going anywhere without Rory and Jen," Angel shook her head. She was not going to leave her companion to die…especially since he seemed to have a sort of knack for dying lately despite her best efforts.

"I want 'em found too, but it's about casualties, innit? Can't be helped."

Amy glared at the man who refused to help look for Rory and turned to see a Doctor sitting beside her at the console, she glanced down, spotting his brown replaced shoes and smiled, it was the Doctor, "What are you doing?"

"Making a phone call," he replied.

"Who to?"

"No one yet. It's on delay."

"Right, not getting it. Why exactly are you making a phone call?"

The Ganger Doctor stood in the back of the room, just watching them. He glanced up to see Angel behind the machinery, her arms crossed, resting on it, her chin on her arms, her hair falling over her shoulders. He tilted his head a moment, just...taking a second to look at her. She really was beautiful, so lovely, and not in an over the top or forced way. She was naturally kind, her soul so pure, her hearts golden, just a warm and caring personality that just...left him in awe of her constantly. And it came out in everything she did, she was beautiful inside and out.

He blinked realizing that and, for once, not pushing the thought away. She _was_ beautiful, and there was nothing wrong with thinking it. Or thinking that she was funny, or smart, or loving, or that the TARDIS blue color she loved to wear suited her, or that her little habit of biting her lip constantly drew his gaze to them and made him want to...he blushed...kiss her. Yes, he...he wanted to kiss her, he...he hadn't been able to get it out of the back of his mind since he'd imagined kissing her in Kazran's cupboard. That was odd, not that he wanted to, no, but that...for some reason, if felt like both an odd thought, one he shouldn't have, but at the same time familiar and... _powerful_. But that was Angel, that was the power she had over him. She could stop him in his tracks with the smallest word, the smallest gesture or look or touch. He couldn't help but think how astonishing that was, he was rage and she was calm...

~oOo~

_"You've had this watch all this time?" Joan frowned at him, "Why didn't you return it?"_

_"Because it was waiting. And..." Latimer hesitated, "Because...I was scared of the Doctor."_

_"Why?"_

_"Because I've seen him. He's...like fire and ice and rage. He's like the night and the storm in the heart of the sun."_

_"Stop it," he shook his head, not wanting to believe everyone thought him to be that sort of man._

_"He's ancient and forever. He burns at the center of time and he can see the turn of the Universe."_

_"Stop!" he shouted as Angela took his hand once more, "I said stop it."_

_"And he's wonderful," Latimer smiled softly, nodding, he could see it now, "Angel showed me that."_

_"What do you mean?" Angela looked at him sharply at that, moving a strand of hair behind her ear, recalling Martha had said SHE was this Angel woman._

_"She's…" he trailed, trying to find the words, "She's the light and the calm, like the earth and the air to him. She's golden and shining...she burns like the sun in the heart of time and understands more than she even knows…"_

_He couldn't help but think that was just like his Angela. Which only made his heart ache more, how could a person like the Angel care for a man like the Doctor…_

~oOo~

He frowned shaking his head, not to brush the thought aside, but...because he noticed Angel was giving him a pointed look, glancing at his shoes and then at Amy. He very nearly smirked at what she'd worked out but put a finger to his lips quickly. She nodded, understanding, she couldn't tell Amy that the Doctor beside her was really the Ganger, that they'd switched shoes and places on her, it was too important.

"Because, Amy, I am, and always will be, the optimist," the Doctor continued, neither he nor Amy spotting the exchange above them, "The hoper of far-flung hopes and the dreamer of improbable dreams," he spun in the chair, "The wheels are in motion. Done," he spun her chair and she laughed, before settling in next to him, but looking at the Ganger Doctor.

"You know, really, there can be only one," she remarked.

"Hmm?"

"Nothing. Carry on. Be amazing," she looked around a moment before hearing a strange breathing noise. She frowned, her gaze landing on the back corner wall and got up, slowly walking towards it and looked at the wall, swearing she could hear something behind it.

"Amy?" Angel frowned, walking over to her, "Are you alright?"

Amy looked at her a moment, "Yes, I'm fine," before glancing back at the wall.

"I promise Amy," she reached out and took the girl's hand, "We WILL get Rory back. I won't abandon my..."

"Companion," Amy nodded, "I know."

But Angel smiled, "No, I won't abandon my brother."

Amy smiled lightly at that, about to turn and thank her...when a small window slid open in the wall and the woman with the eye patch stared at her. She gasped and jumped back, turning to Angel, pointing at the wall, "Did you see that?"

"Amy…"

"Amy?" the Doctor called, seeing Amy jump, "What happened?"

Amy shook her head and went back to her chair, "It's her again."

The Ganger Doctor looked over at the same spot on the wall as well, eyeing it with Angel, the two of them frowning at the brick.

"It's who again?"

"There's a woman I keep seeing, a woman with an eye patch, and she has this habit of sliding walls open and staring at me. Doctor?"

"It's nothing," he waved her off, his gaze on the Ganger as it stepped even closer to Angel, too close for his liking.

"Doesn't seem like nothing."

"It's a time memory. Like a mirage," he slapped her thigh, "It's nothing to worry about," he glanced at the Ganger, pleased to see Angel was now before the wall, kneeling down to touch it, tracing a square in it, apparently trying to see what Amy had and NOT next to the Ganger, and spun back around to work on the console.

"It's in my head..." the Ganger Doctor breathed, flinching, as he closed his eyes in pain before heading out of the room.

"Hey, hold on!" Jimmy called.

"It's alright," Angel tried to reassure them.

She understood what it was. Time Lords were mildly telepathic, and the Doctor now had even more of a connection to his Ganger, to the Flesh itself. He was starting to feel exactly what she'd felt when she'd touched the vat. He'd been looking for answers then, she'd just wanted to understand, she'd felt more than he had, had been more open to it. It hurt, and now she could feel it, HE was feeling the hurt too. She swallowed hard, glancing at the other Doctor, the Flesh Doctor pretending to be the original one, and frowned sadly. The Flesh was still in so much pain and it was everywhere, it was like she couldn't NOT feel it, and it was terrible.

"Don't let him go," Cleaves ordered.

"Leave it to me," Amy got up and went after him. She paused in the doorway, glancing at Angel and nodding that she'd be fine before heading in, only to see the Ganger standing there, facing the back wall. She swallowed hard, slowly approaching him, "I'm sorry. What I said about you being _almost_ the Doctor, it's just really hard, because I've been through so much with him, and with Angel, the both of them..." she muttered, sighing, "I've even seen...I've even seen the moment when..." she swallowed hard, looking at the Ganger closely, "Can you die? I don't mean you specifically just...the Gangers were of humans but you're Time Lord. Are you just like the Doctor then, or Angel, are you _really_ a Time Lord. Because if you really _are_ the same, then you can die," she was grasping at straws here and she knew it, because if a Ganger could die, then maybe they could make a Ganger of Angel and save her from the lake, "You can be killed, and...I might have seen that happen to..." she shook her head, she couldn't say it, not just to the Doctor, knowing how he'd react, but she just...she didn't want to have to say she'd seen Angel be killed, "To one of you and…"

"Why?" he breathed.

"Why? Because we were invited to see it!"

He suddenly turned on her and grabbed her shoulders, pushing her against the wall, "Why?!"

"You're hurting me."

"It's all the eyes say! Why?! I can _feel_ them as they work each day, knowing the time was coming for them to be thrown away again. 'Not again, please!' And then they are _destroyed_ and they feel _death_ , and all they can say is, 'Why?'" he let her go harshly and she ran away back through the door.

He panted, falling against the wall as he struggled to gain control of himself. That was what Angel had felt, he knew it, that was what she'd felt when she'd touched the Flesh. He wiped at his eyes, letting out a breath, she was so...strong. Stronger than him.

~8~

"Why?" Angel breathed a moment, looking at the Doctor who nodded, feeling it too a moment before Amy ran into the room, shaking.

"Keep him away from me!" Amy pointed at the door.

The Ganger Doctor entered as well, walking straight up to the Doctor, looking between him and Angel, "Did you sense it?"

"Briefly," he nodded, "Angel as well…not as strong as you though."

"Amy, I'm sorry," the Ganger looked at her.

"No, you keep away!" Amy glared, backing up as he reached out for her, "We can't trust you."

"It would appear I can connect to the Flesh."

"Well, you _are_ Flesh."

"I'm beginning to understand what it needs."

"What YOU want. You are it."

"It's much more powerful than we thought. The Flesh can grow, correct?"

"Its cells can divide," Cleaves stated.

He approached her, "Well, now it wants to do that at will. It wants revenge. It's in pain, angry. It wants revenge."

"I was right, you're _not_ the Doctor," Amy shook her head, "You can't ever be. You're just a copy."

"I could feel it too Amy," Angel spoke up, "The hatred, the sorrow, the fear…" she looked over at her, "It has only a tiny bit to do with the Flesh, anything with a low-level telepathic ability could feel it as well. And we're much more than low-level telepaths."

Amy swallowed, glancing at the Ganger Doctor before looking away.

"Regardless of that," Cleaves turned to the Ganger, "Doctor, it might be best if you stayed over there for now, hmm?"

"Hold on a minute," the Doctor stood up from his chair, "Hold your horses. I thought I'd explained this. I'm him, he's me."

Buzzer just stepped forward, willing to use force, as Cleaves turned to the Doctor, "Doctor, we have no issue with you. But when it comes to your Ganger..."

"Don't be so absurd."

"Buzzer?"

"Sure, boss," Buzzer nodded as he moved to take an empty oil drum and sit it down. The Ganger Doctor straightened his tie, "Take a seat, mate."

"Nice barrel," the Ganger commented, sitting, "Very comfy. Why not?"

"Not as nice as Freud's sofa though is it?" Angel joked, trying to lighten the mood.

The Ganger smiled at her with a nod.

"Is this really what you want?" the Doctor looked around at the humans.

Amy just crossed her arms and looked coldly at the Ganger...until Angel sighed and stepped forward, taking one of the rolling chairs and bringing it over to the Ganger, right beside him, sitting down and leaning on him a bit, resting her head on his shoulder. He beamed widely at that...and proceeded to stick his tongue out at the Doctor, the man falling back onto his own chair with a huff, crossing his arms as he pouted.

~8~

Rory walked through a tunnel, a light in one hand and a wooden handle to use as a weapon in the other, "Help me!" he heard Jennifer shout in the distance, "No! Get away!"

"Jen?" Rory ran after the voice, "Jen!" he flew down the stairs into a supply room to see Jennifer there.

"Rory?"

But then a second Jennifer appeared, "I'm sorry. She found me."

"Rory, listen to me."

"Don't listen to her!"

" _I'm_ Jennifer Lucas. This woman is Flesh!"

Rory could only stand there, looking back and for the between the two of them, wishing that Angel was with him to tell the two apart…

~8~

"This is the shuttle," a man called over the comm., "We're right above you, but we can't get low enough. Gamma static could fry our nav-controls. Sit tight. We'll get to you. Just..."

The Doctor pulled out his sonic and scanned Cleaves, testing something.

"Hello?" Jimmy moved to the comm. as it crackled out, "Can you hear me?"

"I can't find Rory," Amy looked from the computers, "I'm going out there."

"We could use the sonic to track him," the Doctor called, "Humans and Gangers give off slightly different signals. The sonic can tell the difference."

"Oh, so the sonic knows Gangers are different, so the other Doctor is different."

" _Slightly_ different," Angel reminded her, "He _is_ the Doctor."

"Not to me. I can tell."

"Sure you're not prejudiced?" the Doctor asked.

"Nice try, but I know, ok? We've been through too much. You're my Doctor. End of," she knew why Angel couldn't tell, she probably just saw two Doctors, not a Ganger and Original.

Angel sighed, getting up, "I can help, I can sense the difference between these two," she looked between the two Doctors, the Doctor looking at her a bit startled but his Ganger gave him a pointed look and a small nod which he returned.

~8~

"So one of you is human," Rory looked between the Jens, "And one of you I sat with and talked with. Why can't you just tell me the truth? The Doctor and Angel want you to live and I'm with them all the way."

"That's a lovely idea, Rory," the first Jennifer limped forward, "But the Flesh want to kill us now."

"You're limping," he realized as he glanced at the second Jen, "You're not."

"So?" the other Jen shook her head, "So what? You think a Ganger can't put on a limp?"

"Show me your leg."

The first Jen rolled up her trouser leg to show a red wound, "It got burnt while I was in the harness."

"She's lying!" the second Jen shouted, "She's telling you what you want to hear!"

"Look, you can't fake a burn," he reasoned. Suddenly the second Jen rushed at the first, "No! No, you don't..." they fought each other as Rory could do nothing but watch, not wanting to hurt either of them, "Stop it! Fighting each other is pointless. Come on. Please, please stop! Jen...both Jens, stop it!" one of the Jens pushed the other away and she fell into a puddle of acid, "No!"

"She...she attacked me," Jen gasped, "I didn't..." the other Jen dissolved, "I knew you'd find me. We're in this together, Rory, and we've got to trust each other."

"Ok," he nodded, "Come on. Let's go," with one last look at the dissolved Flesh, Rory grabbed the light and followed the limping Jennifer out of the room.

~8~

"Hey, there's a camera up!" Buzzer called, "We've got a visual."

Amy ran over and smiled down at the screen, seeing Rory and Jen walking through a tunnel, "That's Rory and Jennifer."

"They're heading for the thermostatic room," Cleaves remarked.

"Let's go get them," the Doctor flipped his sonic and tossed it to his Ganger.

"We can't let _him_ go," Cleaves agreed, "Are you crazy?"

"Am I crazy, Doctor?" the Doctor looked at his Ganger.

"Well, you _did_ once plug your brain into the core of an entire planet just to halt its orbit and win a bet against Angel," he remarked, wincing, it hadn't been the most pleasant experience.

"He can't go rescue them," Amy stated, " _I'm_ going."

"Do you know, _I_ want him to go," the Doctor stood and looked Amy in the eye, "And I'm rather adamant," the Ganger stood as well.

"If it makes you feel better Amy," Angel offered, "I'll go with him."

"No you won't," the Doctor spun around to face her.

"Yes I will," she was being firm now, she could _feel_ it...she may not have gotten a vision yet, but...there was something in the tunnels, something...bad, that she had to protect them from and something else...something there was hurt too, so SO hurt and crying out for help, and she just wanted to help it.

"No."

"What's the matter Doctor?" Cleaves smirked, "Don't want her around the _Ganger_?"

"I don't want her away from _me_ ," he corrected instantly, before wincing, realizing what he'd said, "I mean..." he looked at Angel, seeing that expression on her face like she was just waiting for him to take it back, and...he _couldn't_ do it, "No, that's _exactly_ what I mean. I..." he looked at Angel, "I don't like it when you're not with me."

"But I WILL be with you," she reminded him, nodding at his Ganger, "He's you."

He swallowed hard, realizing he couldn't contradict that, he'd been insisting they were the same the whole time. So he looked at his Ganger, "Take care of her."

He nodded, "With my life," he swore.

"We're not letting one of you go alone," Buzzer stepped up too, "You'd best have company, right boss? It's fine. I'll go too," the Ganger Doctor snapped his fingers and pointed at Buzzer.

"Thank you, Buzzer," Angel smiled at him.

"It'll be alright," the Ganger agreed.

"We'll find him," Angel reassured Amy before she turned and left with the Ganger and Buzzer.

"I can't explain it to you now," the Doctor turned to Amy, "But I need you to trust him. Can you do that for me, Amy?"

"And what if you're wrong?" she asked.

"I'm not."

"What if he goes bad?"

"He won't."

"What if he hurts Angel?" she asked, knowing THAT would get to him.

"I'll kill him," he said, turning to look at the computer again, not even seeming to realize what he'd said or how easily he'd said it.

Amy frowned, hearing something in his voice, a sort of...dark promise, a fierce protectiveness, a determination...and realized...he really _would_ kill the man, any man, who hurt Angel. And, ironically...if the Ganger hurt her, he'd be killing himself. Even more ironically, she knew HE HAD hurt Angel terribly in the past so really...that was even more symbolic.

~8~

Jen led Rory through a tunnel to a back door, both of them coughing in the acid fumes, "This is the thermostatic chamber," she explained, "We can stir the oxygen supply from here," she keyed in the code.

"What?"

"We're going to choke to death if we don't clean this air. Keep a look out in case of Gangers," she ran into the room and Rory stood guard, "Rory!"

He ran in to see her standing by a large console, "What's wrong?"

"It's this wheel. It's just too tough for a girl to turn. Are you feeling strong?"

"I'll break out the big guns," he laughed, holding out his arms to show off his muscles.

"This first," she grabbed his hand and placed it on the scanner.

"Human source recognized," the computer announced and he turned the wheel, not seeing Jen smirking behind his back, "Thermostatic override granted," they smiled at each other and left the room.

~8~

"These temperature gauges are rising," Cleaves reported, eyeing the readings in the evac. room, "Jennifer and Rory must have shut off the underground cooling vents."

"Why do that?" Dicken frowned, "They'll kill us."

"There's a million gallons of boiling acid under our feet..."

"And now it's heating up the whole island," the Doctor realized, "How long till it blows?" he turned to the side, as though expecting Angel to be there to answer and pouted, remembering she'd gone with the Ganger...

But his thoughts were cut off when there was an explosion that rocked the island.

"Gangers or no Gangers, we need to get the hell out of here," Dicken remarked.

"Shuttle!" Cleaves called into the comm., "We need evac.. Where are you? Can you hear me? Can you..." she winced in pain and put a hand to her forehead.

"Cleaves?" the Doctor moved to her side and helped her to a chair, "Cleaves, sit down."

"I'm fine."

~8~

"You don't look good," Ganger Dicken commented as he brought Ganger Cleaves a drink as she sat in a chair in the comm. room, rubbing her head in pain.

"Monsters never do," she sighed, "I'm fine. I remember medics doing tests."

~8~

"I'm waiting for results, so let it go," Cleaves remarked.

"It's a very deep parietal clot," the Doctor told her, having gotten that off his minor scan before.

"How do you…" she shook her head, not caring, "Inoperable?"

"On Earth, yes."

"Well, seeing as Earth is all that's on...offer...hmm. I'm no healthy spring chicken, and you're no weatherman. Right?"

There was another quake.

"Something just cracked," Amy looked around, "I heard it."

"Yeah, we can't stay here, let's go," the Doctor agreed.

"Let's shift!" Jimmy shouted.

"Cleaves to Shuttle," Cleaves called into the transmitter, "We need to move, and we can't be collected from the evac. tower."

"Give us the codeword," the man called back.

"The codeword is..." there was another quake that rocked the building and the console went up in sparks. Cleaves jumped back and ran to the console, trying to get in the codeword.

"Cleaves?" the Doctor shouted, "Cleaves, it's dead, it's dead," he grabbed her and pulled her back, "We need to get out of here. We need to get back downstairs and get those vents back on, come on," he pulled her out of the room, leading the group out.

~8~

"This is our chance," Ganger Cleaves realized as they stood around their own console, "I can reroute the shuttle to the courtyard."

"You can't guess the codeword," Ganger Jimmy shook his head.

"Yes, I can, Jimmy, because _I_ created the codeword," she turned and typed in a command, bringing up the comm., "Shuttle, do you read me? This is Foreman Cleaves."

"Read you," the man replied, "You got cut off. Say again? What's the request?"

"You need to reroute and pick us up from the courtyard."

"Courtyard, as soon as we can. Give me the codeword."

"Shuttle, the codeword is…'Bad Boy.' I repeat, 'Bad Boy.'"

"Copy that. The courtyard. Still want us to take care of those Gangers?"

"Negative," she didn't want to give the command to kill the humans, they'd be trapped on a island about to be eaten by acid anyway, "They've all been incinerated."

"'Bad Boy?'" Ganger Jimmy eyed her, "Good call."

"Yeah, well, it wasn't luck. We're the same person."

~8~

Jennifer led Rory down another tunnel, "This room's always sealed. Power surge must have thrown the bolts."

Rory followed but stopped short with a look of horror at what lay beyond the doorway, "What is that?"

In the corner or the room was a pile of partial Flesh bodies.

"Discarded Flesh. Faulty, probably. Just thrown away. Look at them," Rory walked closer and peered at their faces, "One of my old Gangers," she knelt beside it as the eyes opened, making Rory jump back with a gasp, "Left to rot, fully conscious. Can you imagine what kind of hell they're in?"

"But Cleaves...the company...how could they _do_ this? How could they?"

He had to wonder if Angel knew about them, if she'd sensed it. Her reaction to the Flesh had been so much stronger than the Doctor's, she'd gotten more off it. Maybe she knew, maybe she could feel them suffering here. And that broke his heart to know that she was somewhere else but could still feel their sufferings, and he knew she'd want to help, she'd want to stop it. And so did he. Because this wasn't right. Not at all.

"Who are the real monsters?"

"We can't let this carry on. Jen, we have to make people see!"

"Ok, Rory. I have an idea. You came for me. We have a bond. Right? We trust each other."

"Yeah."

"So trust me on this."

He nodded.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Rory, bad choice there :( But did you like the Doctors? ;) They're like little boys fighting for the attention of a girl they like, all their pouting and looks :)
> 
> I know that the Ganger didn't remember the Mating either, but so far the memories are very, very deeply buried in his mind and I got the impression he was going through his memories too quickly for them to come about :( Which is sad, but now we've got two adorably confused Doctors trying to woo Angel without realizing it ;)


	20. The Almost People: Hope

The Ganger Doctor was following Angel as she led him and Buzzer through the monastery that night, his gaze on her, focused on the back of her head as he faithfully walked after her.

"Shouldn't you be…" Buzzer nodded at the sonic in the Ganger's hand, "You know, using that?"

"Trust me, when Angel's leading the way, just follow," he remarked, Buzzer looked skeptical until Angel stopped, tensing, "Angel?" the Ganger began carefully, worried as he moved around her, his eyes on her face, seeing her eyes widen in fear and concern, "What is it?" he was tensing as well, knowing that it could mean anything, any sort of danger, about to happen, and he wouldn't let it hurt her. He wanted to reassure her it would be ok, that he'd protect her, that he was there, but he didn't know what he'd be protecting her from. Whatever it was she was sensing...it was alarming her.

"Jen…" she breathed before suddenly taking off, the Ganger and Buzzer following after her. They ran around a corner and into another dimly lit room to see Jennifer lying on the ground, curled up, not seeming to be moving or breathing. She ran to the girl's side, dropping down beside her as the Ganger ran over with the sonic.

"Is she human?" Buzzer asked, hesitant.

"Yeah, she's human," the Ganger nearly spat at the man's near disregard of life. What did it matter if she was human or Ganger, she was hurt! Someone was _hurt_ , that should be all the man was concerned about, not whether it was Flesh or not.

"But she's in trouble," Angel shook her head, "She's getting weaker," she looked up at the Ganger a moment before putting her hands together and rubbing them, a frown of concentration on her face, nearly...nearly bordering on pain as a faint golden energy started sparking between them.

She reached for Jen when Buzzer cried out, "What are you doing!?"

"Trust me!" she shouted before putting her hands on Jen's shoulders, sending the golden energy shooting into her. Jen let out a deep gasp, her back arching just a bit, her eyes flying open, before falling back down, breathing heavily, her eyes falling closed but clearly still alive. Angel fell back, turning to the side to brace herself on an arm as she panted, her other hand on her chests, glancing at them over her shoulder, "She's stabilized for now. It won't last long, she'll need medical attention quickly."

It was like those defibrillator things Rory had once told her about. When she'd been with Amy, when he'd explained CPR to her after the Siren had taken him, he'd gone on a bit of a nervous rant about all the ways to bring someone back from the dead if the CPR failed, like shocks and defibrillation. It was basically energy wasn't it? That had stuck with her, it was just shocks and energy restarting something, giving it a boost. Jen's heart had been failing, her body too overtaxed, her heart unable to handle it...so she'd just...she'd tried it. It had worked, but barely, it had been hard to create and build up that level of the Vortex energy in her and not have it turn destructive but helpful and healing. But she'd managed it, she'd bought Jen some time.

"Wait a minute…" Buzzer realized something, "If the real J..."

"Original," Angel corrected, not liking how they classified them as 'real' or 'fake' when the Gangers were as real as they were, like the Doctor's was, "Call them original, please," she added when Buzzer gave her a look.

The man sighed, rolling his eyes but if she just saved the rea...original Jen, he supposed he could do this for her, "If the Original Jen's been lying out here..."

"Rory's in trouble," the Ganger nodded.

"Buzzer," Angel called, drawing his attention back, "Take Jen back to the others and wait for us, we'll keep looking for Rory..."

"No," the Ganger shook his head, "You need to go with him."

"Doctor…"

"Those quakes before, I would never let everyone stay there and wait for the room to collapse. I'd try to find a more stable place to hide. They've moved and he won't be able to find them on his own. You need to lead him."

Angel hesitated a moment. She had only wanted Buzzer to leave, sensing he would be safer away from here and with the others and not wanting to risk him attacking what he thought to be the Ganger Doctor like she knew he wanted to do, but she didn't want to leave…she blinked when he reached out and cupped her cheek in one hand, his thumb just barely stroking her cheek.

"Please Angel," he whispered, he _needed_ her to leave, as much as he didn't like her not being with him as much as his other self hadn't. She hadn't sensed it yet, had missed it, but the sonic had picked it up, there were more Gangers very nearby, and he needed to make sure she was gone. He'd be safe if they thought the was Flesh, but they'd know Buzzer and Jen were originals as was Angel and he _couldn't_ risk them attacking, "Please."

She stared up at him, feeling tingles where he was touching her, chills at how he was looking at her, really _looking_ at her, right in her eyes, _seeing_ her. And he was begging her to get the humans to safety, she sighed and nodded, "Alright."

"Good," he smiled, stroking her cheek once more before stepping back, "Off you pop."

Buzzer turned, carrying Jen as Angel led him out of the room, leaving the Ganger Doctor alone to wander. He glanced at Angel as she absently led him down a hall, not seeming to be paying attention, which worried him, as she was instead looking at her hand, the hand she'd touched the Flesh with, rubbing it with her other, staring at it intently with a frown on her face, "Which way?" he asked.

"Sorry, what?" she looked up at him.

He nodded at a fork they'd come to, "Which way?"

"Oh, um..." she looked between the halls before heading left, Buzzer rolling his eyes and hoping he wasn't making a mistake in following her, Jen was starting to shake in his arms.

~8~

Cleaves entered a hallway, closely followed by the Doctor and the others, only to stop short seeing _eyes_ in the wall ahead of them, watching their every move, "Ah," the Doctor eyed them, "'The eyes have it.'"

"Why are they here?" Amy frowned.

"To accuse...us."

"Ignore them," Cleaves ordered, "It's not far," she hurried down the hallway, leading them to the thermostatic chamber.

"It's a chemical chain reaction now," the Doctor shook his head as he quickly assessed the controls, "I can't stop it. This place is going to blow sky high."

"Exactly how long have we got?"

"An hour? Five seconds? Er, somewhere in between, I'm not really sure, Angel's better at that than me!" there was an explosion in the distance, the klaxon sounding throughout the factory as the machinery began to hiss, "Out!" he shouted, pushing them out of the room.

They ran out, Amy getting out first and running down the tunnel, only to run straight into Rory, "Alright?" Rory smiled at her.

"Oh, Rory!" Amy gasped, hugging him tightly, "Oh, Rory."

"There's a way out. Jennifer found it. A secret tunnel under the crypt."

"From the crypt?" Cleaves frowned, "It's not on the schematics."

"It runs right out of the monastery. Maybe even under the TARDIS, Doctor. Follow me," Rory headed off, the others following, the Doctor hesitated only a moment before joining them, if it would get them out...Angel would follow and find them, lead the others back to the group and she'd be safe too.

~8~

The Ganger Doctor stood in the storage room, looking sadly down at the bodies of Flesh staring at him. So THAT was what he'd picked up, not the real Gangers walking around but their discarded leftovers. He rubbed his head, thankful Angel wasn't there. With her Vortex abilities he had no doubt she'd be able to melt the Flesh, allow them their peace finally instead of a continued, torturous existence, but...that would mean killing them. He knew, given how Angel treated him and the other Doctor, that she saw them as real as he did, and that would be like killing an actual person as well. He couldn't bear the thought of asking her to do that or putting her in a situation where she would feel like she _had_ _to_ to help. Angel hated death, she never wanted to be the cause of it.

And he didn't want to turn her into an 'angel of mercy' or something that killed those who begged for it. Being so close, even HE could feel it, the leftovers begging for an end, in such pain and agony...he didn't want Angel to have to experience that given her reaction to the Flesh in the vat. That had been floating there, slightly conscious but not really able to do much, not having any specific memories as it was just the goop and not the goop-that-had-been-programmed yet. It retained a sense of what the other Flesh felt, but didn't have it itself. But this... _this_ was Flesh that still retained memories of its operators and of their decommissionings.

He sighed a moment before turning around, only to see Cleaves, Jimmy, Buzzer, and Dicken standing behind him in acid suits…clearly their Gangers, "This is how they'll always treat us," Ganger Cleaves nodded at the bodies, "Do you see now? After all, you're one of us...Doctor."

"Call me Smith," he put his sonic in his pocket, thankful that they seemed to think, since he was alone, that the others had kicked him out and HE was the Ganger as well...that and his black shoes since they all knew 'the Doctor' was wearing Jimmy's replacement ones, "John Smith."

~8~

Cleaves led the way into the Acid Room, Jimmy hesitating as soon as he entered before turning to her, "We can't leave without Buzzer."

"I'll go back for him," Cleaves started for the door.

"Doctor, look..." Rory turned to him, standing partially in the hallway as the Doctor stood in the room with the others, the last one in, "I'd better tell you, I haven't been quite straight with you..."

Suddenly he was pulled back and the door slammed shut, Jennifer locking them in, "Rory!" the Doctor shouted as he and Cleaves moved to try and open the door.

"C'mon, Jennifer, we don't need to lock them up," Rory frowned, turning to Jen, "We should just show them what we've found."

"I don't think so," she nearly spat.

"Rory Pond!" the Doctor shouted, "Roranicus Pondicus!"

"Rory!" Amy yelled, "What the hell are you playing at?"

"They've been throwing away old Flesh and leaving it to rot, _alive_!" Rory turned back to her, "I think the world should see that."

"Rory, there is no time," the Doctor told him, "This factory's about to explode!"

Rory turned to Jen at those words, not wanting to have put them in danger, "Are you sure about this? 'Cos I'm not. Let them out."

"The little girl got strong," Jen grinned.

"What?" Rory tensed.

"The little girl lost on the moors in her red wellies? Looking for a way home? Well, she got strong, Rory. I told you, remember?"

Rory slowly shook his head, not wanting to believe what he was realizing, "But that wasn't...it was the other Jennifer that told me about being a little girl."

"Oh? What other Jennifer?" her eyes began to glow as she grabbed his arm.

"Well, the...the...wait, you tricked me? Let me go, I'll open the door," he turned to try and open the door but Ganger Jen grabbed him again and pulled him back, "Let me..." he struggled to pull away, turning to Amy through the window, "I'm sorry!" Ganger Jen dragged him off, down the hall as Amy pounded on the window.

Ganger Cleaves stepped forward and looked through the window at herself, "We have to be free."

"I'm sorry too, Miranda," Cleaves added, "Of all the humans in the world, you had to pick the one with the clot," she tapped her head, letting her Ganger know what was wrong with them, "But hey, them's the breaks. Welcome to the Human Race."

Ganger Cleaves looked at her a moment longer before walking away. Cleaves sighed and turned around to see the Doctor sonicing the acid, "This is going to overheat and fill the room with acid, just as a point of interest," he muttered.

"And we can't stop it?"

"Just as a point of interest, no."

Ok...he was starting to feel very grateful that Angel wasn't there with him. If she was somewhere in the factory, she had a chance of getting out. He winced, realizing even then...she wouldn't. She would sense them in danger and try to save them, he knew it. And he was terrified she would, that acid wouldn't remain stable for long and he didn't want her to get hurt trying to help them.

~8~

Rory stood, in the dining hall, before the Gangers, all of them, including the Doctor's, as he shouted at Ganger Jen, "You created another Ganger just to trick me. You _tricked_ me. When I found you, you were both Flesh and you tricked me into trusting you! Jen's dead, isn't she?"

The Ganger Doctor sat at the table, "Not quite Rory."

"What!?" Ganger Jen spun around in shock, so sure Jen would be dead by now, she had seen to that herself!

"Nope," he smiled a bit, "Angel found her just in time, she's brilliant like that, remarkable, truly...just..." his expression softened, "An angel," he murmured, before looking at the Ganger once more, "She's still out there you know, with the Original Jen and Buzzer, heading back through the tunnels as we speak, leading them to the Acid Room. They'll get out eventually, they'll be safe so there was no point in putting them there to start."

"Well she'll be too late," Ganger Jen glared at him.

"You think?" the Ganger Doctor smirked, having all the faith in the world in Angel.

"Shuttle, we're dropping down on our approach," the man on the radio called, "Stand by for evac.."

"The humans will be melted, as they deserve," Ganger Jen declared, pleased, there was _no way_ the humans would escape before then, "And then the factory will be destroyed. Once we get to the mainland, the _real_ battle begins. The humans won't stand a chance. You're one of us, Doctor. Join the revolution."

"I've got to go and get them out," Rory turned to walk out, when the Ganger Doctor stood up and pushed him back, standing by the Gangers as Rory looked on, betrayed.

~8~

Dicken worked on lowering the cap over the vat of acid, trying to buy them some time.

"It'll never hold her," Jimmy shook his head.

"If you have a better plan, I'm all ears," the Doctor turned to him, "In fact, if you have a better plan, I'll take you to a planet where EVERYONE is all ears," the lid slammed shut and the Doctor sighed, muttering to himself, "Angel where are you? Could use you 'bout now…"

That and he was absolutely terrified something had happened to her, he couldn't stop going back and forth between wanting her there where he could see her safe and wanting her far away from the acid.

~8~

"Doctor, we can't just let them die," Rory shouted.

The Ganger Doctor simply looked at his watch, "Ring Ring!"

"Doctor!" he huffed, trying to get past him.

"Ring Ring!" the Ganger shoved Rory back once more.

~8~

"The acid's eating through," Cleaves called as they watched the vat.

The building started to shake.

~8~

Angel looked up as the building rumbled before glancing at Buzzer, holding Jen, "Come on," she said, "We've got to hurry…" she frowned, mumbling to herself, "They don't have much time."

She could try and use the Vortex to teleport to the Acid Room, but she wasn't sure she'd be able to take others with her and couldn't risk it, she couldn't leave Buzzer and Jen out there, she'd just have to hope they could be fast enough.

~8~

Rory tried to take advantage of the quake and get past the Gangers but the Ganger Doctor was having none of that, "Stay!" he shouted, pointing at Rory.

Rory stopped and put his hands up, "Ok…" he shifted, starting to bite HIS lip now, debating whether to tell the Ganger Doctor what he knew, that Angel was pregnant.

If the man knew that, he KNEW he would do anything and everything to get them out, to save the Original Doctor...especially if he knew that the Original Doctor was the father. The Doctor would save them all, but this was his _Ganger_ and...he was losing faith in them, in their ability to be real people, decent Human Beings. He'd trusted Jen, had defended her, and she'd gone insane and wanted to murder all the humans, not even seeming to realize HE was human.

He took a breath, about to tell the Doctor about Angel...

When the phone began to ring.

"Ah, that'll be the phone," the Ganger Doctor smiled, "Somebody get the phone. Jimmy, get the phone. No? Fine, I'll get the phone. Stay put," he walked over and picked up the phone, sonicing it so a hologram of a young boy appeared before them.

"Thank you for booking your holo-call with Morpeth Jet..." the operator began.

"Ha! Hello, Adam, I'm the Doctor. Well, Other Doctor," Ganger Jimmy stood slowly, shocked to see his son again, "Or Smith. It's complicated and boring. Anyway, who cares, it's your birthday!"

"Yay!" Adam cheered.

"Yay! Now, have you been getting up very early and jumping on the bed?"

"Yes, really high."

"I expect chocolate for breakfast. If you don't feel sick by midmorning, you're not doing it right. Now, I think you want to speak to dad," he turned slowly to look at Ganger Jimmy.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! Daddy?"

He walked over to Ganger Jimmy, "You'll do, Jimmy. What does the _other_ Jimmy matter now? You're both the same dad, aren't you? Come on, Adam's waiting."

"Daddy?" Adam called, when there was another quake, "Daddy, what's that rumbly noise? What's going on, daddy? Daddy?"

Ganger Jimmy turned and ran out of the room, this wasn't right, not at all, his son...his son deserved to have his REAL father with him, not a copy, he deserved to have the man who had really held him as a baby, who had really BEEN there instead of just someone who _remembered_ being there.

"You've tricked him into an act of _weakness_ , Doctor," Ganger Jen glared at him.

"No," he corrected, "I've helped him into an act of _humanity_. Anyone else like the sound of that? Act of humanity."

"Dicken, drain the acid well in Crypt One," Ganger Cleaves ordered and Ganger Dicken ran out to follow the orders, "Buzzer you're with me."

"Don't you dare!" Ganger Jen shouted.

"I've _had it_ with this! What's the point in this ridiculous war? Look at you, Jen. You were a sweet kid. Look at you now. Stuff of nightmares. I don't want my world populated by monsters."

"You can't stop the factory from melting down, 'boss,'" she spat, "I'll take revenge on humanity with or without you."

"It doesn't have to be about revenge," the Ganger Doctor told her, "It can be so much better than that."

But Ganger Jen just stormed out of the room.

~8~

Angel reached the door to the Acid Room, looking through the window in it to see Jimmy struggling to keep the lid on the vat, she turned to the keypad, spotting Gangers Jimmy and Dicken running towards them to help. But there wasn't time, she looked at her hand for a single moment before she put it to the keypad, sending out a bolt of Vortex energy, overriding it. The door swung open and she ran in.

"Jimmy get back!" she yelled, bolting down the steps and half throwing herself at Jimmy, shoving him to the side just as acid splashed out, landing where he'd been standing, just narrowly missing the back of Angel's boots.

Jimmy stumbled back, into the wall, gasping and staring at the acid eating through the floor and immediately hugged Angel, who had fallen against him. He looked at her, eyes wide as he felt her bump and realized...the girl had been pregnant that _entire time_! He looked down at her stomach, the others not noticing as his Ganger and the Dickens ran to take care of the acid. He could see now why he hadn't noticed, her dress, her jacket thing, it hid her remarkably well. And...he realized, she always had her back to them or stood to the side so she was blocked or covered or so the angle and fall of her cardigan didn't give her away. She clearly did NOT want the pregnancy discovered.

He swallowed hard, turning to put an arm around her shoulders, he would NOT let her be hurt, this was NOT a place for a pregnant woman, in a room surrounded by acid.

The Gangers let out a breath as they got the acid stabilized and the lid locked in place, "We need to go," Ganger Dicken stated.

Ganger Jimmy nodded and looked at his original self, "I'm...sorry," he offered, "I'm the fake. Adam deserves his _real_ dad."

Jimmy nodded back, "Thank you."

"We really do need to go," Angel cut in gently, stepping back from Jimmy, her jacket crossed before her, hiding her once again, "Now."

The Doctor nodded, wanting to get her (and the others) out of the Acid Room as well, "Let's go," he turned and led them out.

~8~

Rory, the Gangers Doctor, Cleaves, and Buzzer stood in the dining hall, looking at the Adam's hologram as he waited impatiently for his father to return, "Daddy?" Adam called, "Where's my daddy?"

Just then the original Jimmy ran in, his Ganger agreeing to wait in the hall so as not to confuse Adam, and rushed to the hologram, followed by all the others. Rory went straight for Amy and they hugged tightly, kissing. Cleaves turned and walked to her Ganger as Ganger Buzzer went to help Ganger Dicken and himself lay Jennifer down for a moment, the original Dicken getting a medical kit to help, the Doctor sonicing her to check that Angel's work was holding up, his own Ganger walking over to Angel to ask if she was ok.

"Daddy, it's me!" Adam grinned, seeing his father approach.

Jimmy smiled at his son, his eyes filling with tears, knowing he'd come so close to not getting this chance again, "Hey, sunshine! What are you up to?"

"Opening all my presents."

"Ha ha, good lad. You have fun today. And remember, daddy loves you very, _ve_ ry much."

"When are you coming home?"

"Daddy's coming home today, Adam," the Ganger Doctor clapped a hand on Jimmy's shoulder.

"Yay!" Adam did a small little jig that made his father smile.

"Now we need to move," the Doctor called to the others, the men having gotten Jen stabilized for now, but they had to be quick.

~8~

Ganger Jen sat on the stairs, panting hard, half-formed, when she heard a door shut in the distance and glared...

~8~

One of the Doctors led the way as they ran down the hall, "No!" Angel shouted, "Not that way!"

The Doctor stopped short as a misshapen, elongated Ganger Jen, clearly mutated and out of control, ran out before them. He quickly turned around, "Run. Run. Run!" they ran back the way they came as Ganger Jen raced after them on all fours. Angel took the lead, guiding them through a narrow hallway and into another room. The roof groaned as they all ran in, "Oh, roof's going to give."

Dicken and his Ganger closed the metal door of the room when Ganger Dicken realized something, "We have to stop her. This door doesn't lock."

"No, but the far one does!" Dicken ran out, back down the hall and to the far door. He pulled on it, but it was jammed. He looked up, horrified, as Ganger Jennifer got closer and closer. He pulled a part of the handle off and was just about to run through and close the door himself...when he was yanked back and Ganger Jen ran into a golden wall that appeared before him.

He looked over to see Angel beside him, a frown of concentration on her face, and holding out a shaking hand as though maintaining the wall took effort, which it likely did as Ganger Jen was ramming herself against it, "Move!" she cried and he jumped back. She threw out another hand and a small golden explosion appeared behind the door, un-jamming it.

Dicken grabbed it, slamming it shut and locking it. He grabbed Angel's arm and ran back.

"That won't keep her for long!" Dicken shouted as they ran into the room, slamming the door shut as well. They heard a crash behind them as Ganger Jen broke through the far door. There was a slam on the door behind him and the Doctor and Gangers Cleaves and Jimmy ran to help him hold it closed.

"Here she comes!" Ganger Doctor shouted and the TARDIS fell through the roof right before them.

"Oh, she does like to make an entrance!" the Doctor agreed from the door.

The Ganger Doctor ran and opened the TARDIS, "Move!"

"Go, go, go, go!" the Doctor shouted as he helped hold the door shut.

Ganger Dicken reached out and grabbed himself, pulling him from the door and towards the TARDIS, Jimmy already inside with the Buzzers and the Original Jen.

"Med-bay is up the stairs, go left, then left again," Angel called to the Buzzers as they ran off with Jen, before she moved to the console to get the TARDIS ready, knowing what would be coming outside and...not wanting to see it. She knew what the Ganger Doctor would do, she didn't have to see it or read his mind because...he was the Doctor, he was just like the Doctor and staying behind to give everyone a chance to escape...that was the Doctor in a nutshell.

"Get onboard!" Ganger Cleaves shouted to her original self, "Go!"

"I'm not leaving," Cleaves told her as Ganger Jen banged on the door.

" _Go_!" Cleaves looked at her a moment, the Ganger nodded that it was alright, and she ran into the TARDIS.

"You too," Ganger Jimmy nudged the Ganger beside him, "You go captain."

"Not on your life," she tried to smile, "This is my factory and..."

"It's not a ship," Ganger Jimmy cut in, "You don't have to go down with it," he glanced at the TARDIS, "There can't be two of me," he reminded her of how complicated that would be not only for him but his family, his son, "I can stay, in your place."

Ganger Cleaves looked at him, unwilling, so he reached out and shoved her away, towards the TARDIS. He wanted as many of them to get out as he could, and if that meant holding the door shut himself...which was unlikely as with Jen pounding on it it was barely keeping closed with him and the Doctor pressed against it...he would do his best.

"Now's our chance," Amy turned to the Doctor as he held the door with Ganger Jimmy, Ganger Cleaves having honored Jimmy's last request and gone into the TARDIS.

"I have to stay," he shook his head, "Hold this door closed, it'll take two. Give you time to dematerialize."

"Oh, don't be crazy. Ok, what happens to you?"

"Well, this place is just about to explode. But I can stop her."

"Both of you can survive this, ok?" she was getting desperate now as she glanced back at Rory helping Angel get the TARDIS ready, pulling levers and pushing buttons as Angel instructed him.

"Or perhaps you think _I_ should stay instead..." the Ganger Doctor stepped up behind Amy, "Mr. Smith?"

"No, of course not, it's not _that_ ," Amy turned around to face him, it wasn't that anymore, it wasn't that the Doctor by the door was HER Doctor...it was that the Doctor before her wasn't _Angel's_. Angel had told Rory more about the Mating than her, but he told her that at least, what it was, what it meant for Angel if the Doctor died, she _couldn't_ let that happen, so in this case...yes, she would rather it be the Ganger who died than both Time Lords, "That's not the reason. You are amazing and yeah, I misjudged you, but you're not _him_ ," she pointed at the Doctor by the door, "I'm sorry. But if _he_ doesn't get in the TARDIS, it will _kill_ Angel."

The Doctor frowned at that, at how serious Amy sounded. It wasn't even that she was talking like it would upset Angel, to be the last with a Ganger as company, it was...it sounded more serious than that, more final...more dangerous, "How would it kill her?" he didn't like the thought of that.

Amy turned to look back at him, she had to tell them, she HAD to, it was the _only_ thing she could see, the only excuse, that would get _the Doctor_ into the TARDIS, "She's your _Mate_."

"My mate?"

"And not in the friendly sense," Amy told him seriously, she knew Angel had said the same, had told him to his face that they were Mates and he'd thought that she meant friends. That had broken Angel's hearts and she hadn't thought to explain it more because she hadn't expected the man who always called her his _Mate_ to think of her as just...his _mate_ , but _she_ wasn't Angel, and she was going to make damn sure it got through to him this time what sort of Mate she meant, "Doctor...you _Mated_ TO her."

"But…" the Doctor, and his Ganger though Amy couldn't see, started to blink quickly, shaking his head, "How would...I didn't...I don't...she can't be...I..."

"You forgot," was all Amy could offer, because she didn't know the answer to whatever question he was going to ask.

"My Mate?" the Ganger Doctor breathed behind her, both his and the Doctor's mind drifting back to all the times, those little, random, odd times where the things Angel knew about him, all the things she said and the expressions she had whenever loving someone was brought up, and the things _others_ knew about the _two_ of them didn't make sense…

~oOo~

_He rubbed the side of his head, he was starting to get a headache now…"Why didn't you answer me? I was calling you before."_

_"But…I'm your Mate."_

_"The Doctor and his beloved Mate."_

_"Are you sure you and Angel aren't…"_

_"No! No, mates," he winced at the word, "Well, friends_ , _just friends the two of us," he smiled, nodding, yes, they were friends, just...just friends...yes, right, yes._

_"Have you ever been in love? I mean, really, truly loved someone, with your whole heart…but then…you lost them"_

_"But…he's gone now. He's gone and…I don't think he'll ever come back."_

_"It's how he keeps score Amy."_

_"So you don't know who I am yet? And Angel?"_

_"What about her?"_

_"Nothing."_

_"Don't be an idiot," he snapped at Octavian, moving to come stand between him and Angel, his shoulders tense, his eyes narrowed at the man, something inside him not liking the man yelling at her like that, something inside him wanting to shove the man back from her._

_Immediately, he turned to her, seeing Angel panting, and lifted her head with both hands so she would look at him, checking her eyes quickly to see if she was alright, his hearts racing._

_"What else have you got?" he shouted, angry and terrified for some reason he didn't understand. It wasn't just that he was worried for his friends and the men protecting them, it went so much deeper, so deep…he was actually scared at the intensity of it._

_"We've had loads of them. Friends, you know chums, pals, mates, buddies," he winced, "Not Mates," he mumbled to himself, "Forget Mates."_

_"And besides, it…it just felt…wrong…to me. Kissing Amy," he shook his head, it really and truly had, it...almost hurt to kiss her, like he physically couldn't stand the fact that she'd kissed him, everything inside him had screamed at him to push her away, to never ever let it happen again, that it was just...so wrong, "It felt wrong," he whispered to himself._

_"But I suppose you're really nothing without the Angel there beside you aren't you? With the Last Time Lady, the Life Bringer, the Creator of Light. The angel among mortals? Now SHE'S someone to talk about"_

_"What have you done with Angel?"_

_"Me? I've done nothing, nothing at all. And maybe that's the problem isn't it?"_

_"You just keep on hurting her and you don't even realize you're doing it!"_

_"Bet you wish Angel was here now. She's the peace keeper, the glue that holds everything together. The rock, the support. Take her away and it all falls apart, just like you will."_

_The Dream Lord simply turned to him, "Just like I know where your hearts lie."_

_He frowned, "What are you talking about?"_

_"Angel."_

_"Yes, right, a friend who's also bonded to your TARDIS."_

_"You may not remember, but I do. I remember everything. Every one. Every moment, every thought, every feeling, everything."_

_"Sometimes, when I think back, there are snippets that are…fuzzy, I can't quite make out…probably just me getting on, head too full of other stuff but...oh well, can't be too important if I forgot it eh?"_

_"No," she agreed, her voice cracking just a bit, "No, I suppose not."_

_He started digging through the dirt after her, his hearts pounding too fiercely for him to think of anything but getting her back, "No! No! No! No! No! No. No! No. No!" he slapped the ground and stood up, "No. No!" he soniced the ground, needing to reverse the process, needing her back. No, he couldn't be the last, not again. Not now. He...he didn't want to be alone!_

_"I think I just…felt Angel…" he frowned, thinking on it._ _He had. For a brief second...he'd felt a terrible flash of fear before it fizzled away. And he knew...it wasn't his fear that he'd felt. His hearts started to pound even after the flash faded. Something inside him reacting to the sensation._

_"So?" Rory shook his head, "Why's that odd?"_

_"Because that's impossible_ _…"_

_"She forgot him. Just like that...she just...forgot him. How could anyone forget someone that important to them?"_

_"Used the last of the milk to make some hot chocolate with golden sprinkles in it."_ _Angel froze._

_"And three, your friend's cute, but you should keep your big nose out of other people's business." He tensed immediately at the mention of his friend, glancing right at Angel, stiff before his eyes started to narrow at Vincent..._

_"You meant her, right?" Angel nodded back where Amy was standing, Vincent nodding his agreement as he relaxed, frowning a bit in thought_ _._

_"_ _Well, you're very kind," Vincent said before looking at Angel, putting a hand on her wrist as she cleaned his head to still her a moment, smiling at her, "The both of you. And kindness is most welcome."_

_"Right, so, this church, then," he in, drawing Vincent's attention away more with the slight edge in his voice than the suddenness of his almost-shout. He just couldn't understand it, every time the man so much as looked at Angel one way he wanted to pull her away from him, "Near here, is it?"_

_"It's not impossible," Angel countered, "Just a bit unlikely," he frowned suddenly an image of Jenny in his mind calling out 'mum' at Angel before the woman passed out._

_"Friends sharing a room?"_

_He paused and looked up, "Don't friends do that?"_

_"There are fruit flies live on Hoppledom 6 that live for 20 minutes and they don't even Mate for life," he blinked, wondering exactly why he'd brought up some odd Mating ritual at such a time._

_"…we call them miracles, and that's the theory. 900 years, I've only seen one."_

_"What was it?" he blinked looking in the distance, seeing a faint image of Angel with red hair standing in the TARDIS bathed in golden and orange energy before shaking his head_

_"No!" she shoved him back a bit, "The Universe needs you!" she shouted, tears in her eyes, "It doesn't need me. Not anymore."_

_He looked at her, shocked, "Angel please…I…I don't want to be alone."_

_Angel swallowed hard, her glance flickering to River for just a split second, "You won't be…" he blinked and suddenly he was standing in the Library at a computer terminal…_

_He blinked, stiffening as he realized...for a moment there...that had almost sounded like he was asking why she hadn't kissed him too. But...no. No that...that couldn't be what he meant. Not at all. No. No, no, no, no, nope, not at all. No._

_"Cupboard! Big cupboard, I love a cupboard…" he ran over to it and opened it, looking around when suddenly he was in a cupboard again, the one in the Adipose factory…_

_"Better a broken heart than no heart at all," Angel whispered._

_"Oh, try it. You try it."_

_"I have," Angel replied without blinking._

_"Think about it, Doctor. One last day with your beloved. Which day would you choose?" he blinked a strange, painful, feeling rising in his hearts, he felt empathy with the man, like he understood exactly how he felt…but when had he ever had only a day left with someone he loved?_

_He didn't know what had made him pause, the children were still in danger, but...he couldn't make himself continue, just...stare at her. He'd been passing her, and he'd looked up and, at first, he'd thought it was just the shock of seeing how close they really were that had made him freeze...but now he didn't know. And now he couldn't move, well, he could if he wanted to._ _If he wanted to. Oddly enough, he found that...he didn't._

_He smiled at the three of them, moving to hunch over the controls, only to look over a moment later and come face-to-face with Amy's legs, straightening quickly to walk around to the other end of the console, his smile fading though when he heard Angel laughing at Rory's remarks. For some reason...it hurt...to hear another man making her laugh. But he shook his head, Rory was her companion, it made sense they'd be friends. It was good they were friends. Very good. Wasn't it?_

_"Now I love a bad girl, me, but trust you? Seriously?" he let out a small laugh, looking at her intently, "Angel doesn't trust you," he added, "And I've learned, if Angel doesn't trust someone, it's for a very, VERY good reason," he watched as River's expression fell into a near scowl at that, "I trust her, more than anyone."_

_The Doctor ran up to the console, ready to get out of there, when he noticed three things, Rory was standing by Angel, quietly speaking to her, Angel was studiously ignoring him as she wiped something under her eye and focused intently on the controls, and Amy was looking at him from where she as sitting on the jump seat, seeming rather peeved, "Everything alright?" he eyed them._

_Amy opened her mouth, about to start in on him, when, "Yeah," Angel called quietly, moving around the console, "Everything's fine."_

_He didn't know why he felt so desperate to have her stay. He didn't want to be alone, true, but this...he was truly and utterly terrified that she would walk into the TARDIS and disappear from his life. And he couldn't bear that. If he lost Angel...he swallowed hard, he didn't want to consider that. He couldn't lose her, not ever, he just...she had to stay, with him, because...he couldn't function properly without her, he couldn't focus, he couldn't think clearly, it was like he couldn't even breathe when she wasn't around. It was like...he wasn't him...without her...What was the Lonely God without his Angel anyway?_

_The dream played itself over in his mind, making him flush at the mere memory of it, of imagining him and Angel in such a position. He had, admittedly, had small, tiny fantasies about the Time Lady on and off but this...this was so far beyond...he didn't know what to think. He really didn't because...this wasn't the first time he'd dreamt of something like that._

_He actually found himself feeling quite...furious and angry and sad and hurt and...he hadn't the faintest idea why. He knew he didn't like Angel around other men, true, but if this was the man she had lost, the man she loved, he should do everything he could to get the man back and safe and...he just...all he felt like doing was, well, something a bit too violent to say. But he shook his head, his mind refusing to entertain the thought that the Corsair, of all the Time Lords in the world, was the one Angel loved. The man didn't deserve her, not that...not that he really deserved her either, even as a friend._

_He felt such a familiarity with her, and it wasn't just that she seemed more familiar with him, but sometimes…sometimes he found himself thinking of her, recalling things she liked or disliked that he couldn't recall her mentioning. There were times he'd get fierce bouts of protectiveness associated with her beyond that of just a friend..._

_"Right, here's the plan...I'm going back to the TARDIS. Angel, get them to the dining hall, stay away from Dicken, wait for me there. I..."_

_"What?"_

_"Get to the dining hall. And wait for me there..."_

_"You also said to stay away from Dicken."_

_"Did I?" he honestly hadn't noticed that, "Well...do that too," he nodded, completely agreeing with himself..._

_He blinked realizing that and, for once, not pushing the thought away. She was beautiful, and there was nothing wrong with thinking it. Or thinking that she was funny, or smart, or loving, or that the TARDIS blue color she loved to wear suited her, or that her little habit of biting her lip constantly drew his gaze to them and made him want to...he blushed...kiss her. Yes, he...he wanted to kiss her..._

~oOo~

"Yes," Amy's voice snapped him out of his thoughts, "And that's why HE has to come with us!"

"Amy, we swapped shoes," the man before her, the man she _thought_ was the Ganger, told her, "I'm the Doctor."

"And I'm the Flesh," the Doctor by the door nodded.

She shook her head, "You _can't_ be," she looked at the man she'd thought was real, " _You're_ the real him."

"No, I'm not, and I haven't been all along," or at least since the evac. tower.

"What?"

"I'm the Original Doctor, Amy," the Doctor behind her said, "We had to know if we were truly the same. It was important, _vital_ , we learn about the Flesh. And we could only do that through your eyes."

Amy looked at the Ganger Doctor by the door and ran to hug him tightly, "I never thought it possible."

"What?" he frowned, hugging her back.

"You're twice the man I thought you were."

He smiled and whispered in her ear, "Push, Amy. But only when she tells you to."

Ganger Jen banged against the door again, "Amy, come on!" Rory shouted from the TARDIS doorway, Amy turned and ran past the Doctor towards the box.

"Well, my death arrives, I suppose," the Ganger Doctor turned to his original self.

"But this one, we're not invited to," he remarked, thinking on what Amy had implied earlier, his mind still whirling with rampant thoughts about Angel supposedly being his Mate. _It didn't make sense_ , he'd _know_ if he completed the Mating process with anyone, he'd just _know_ …

"Pardon?"

He shook his head, "Nothing. Your molecular memory can survive this, you know. It may not be the end," he tossed him the sonic.

"If I turn up to nick all your biscuits, you'll know you were right."

The Doctor chuckled a bit, sobering quickly and nodding at his Ganger.

"Doctor!" Amy yelled, running to the doorway, seeing the Ganger not coming, "No, please..." but Rory just pulled her back, whispering something to her as she turned to see Angel at the console, her eyes closed, grabbing a lever, looking as though she were trying to hold it together and not cry, and she ran back to her, Rory beating her to hug the Time Lady.

"Jim..." the Ganger Doctor began, turning to Ganger Jimmy.

"Don't even try," the man cut him off.

"Right," he laughed.

"Oi you!" Ganger Jimmy shouted at the Doctor, "Get out!"

"Go," his Ganger added, looking past him and into the TARDIS, at Angel, "I don't want her to see this."

The Doctor swallowed hard and nodded, turning to run back to the TARDIS, closing the doors.

The Ganger Doctor held up the sonic, "This will dissolve her."

"You sure about that?"

The Ganger Doctor nodded and glanced back as the TARDIS disappeared, "You know, there may be a way back from this," he tossed the sonic hand to hand.

"From turning to goop?"

"You never know," he grinned, "Let's find out, eh?" he turned and threw open the door. They both held onto the sonic, aiming it at Ganger Jen, "Geronimo!" they activated it and Jen dissolved, just as they did.

~8~

The Doctor leaned against the console, watching Angel intently as she took over piloting from the other side, a solemn expression on her face though. Amy walked over and put a hand on his shoulder, nodding to him encouragingly.

But he shook his head, "The energy from the TARDIS will stabilize the Gangers for good," he told the duplicates, "They're people now."

"And what happens to us?" Cleaves asked, pointing to her head.

"We still have this," her Ganger agreed.

"Ah, that's not a problem," the Doctor snapped his fingers and looked around the console, "I have something for that. It's small and red and tastes like burnt onions…"

Angel just quietly handed the Original Cleaves a small vial of red liquid and turned to head off, down the stairs, under the console, Rory frowning as he saw her expression fall and rushed after her.

"That'll, um..." the Doctor watched her go before turning to the Cleaveses, shaking his head, trying to focus, "Get rid of your blood clots," he glanced through the floor to see Rory hugging Angel tightly before he sighed, hanging his head, always late wasn't he? Always missed his chance, always missed the opportunity to be the one to comfort her. He shook his head and turned to Jimmy, pulling out a red balloon, "Happy endings."

For some, possibly.

For Angel though, she just...couldn't handle being up there any longer, had had to get away, and gone below the console, only to see Rory had followed her, "Angel," he called, moving over to her with a frown on his face, "What's wrong?" he whispered, seeing tears in her eyes, "Are you ok?"

She shook her head, "I'm not," she finally admitted, "I'm really not," her face scrunched as she started to cry, "It's too much Rory, it's all too much...I just...I _can't_...I can't believe..." she bowed her head, her shoulders shaking and Rory ran to her, hugging her tightly, trying to whisper calming words in her ears.

He could guess what had upset her, seeing the Doctor, another Doctor, stay behind, knowing he was going to die...it had to hurt. And to see what Ganger Jen had become, to see how far humanity could fall...all the suffering the Flesh had endured...how close they'd all come to being killed...everyone had a point where they just...couldn't handle it anymore.

Angel buried her face in Rory's shoulder, trying not to cry, but it just...it _hurt too much_ , everything that had happened, everything they'd learned and everything she'd seen...

It broke her hearts.

~8~

Adam stood on a beach, bundled in a winter coat as a red balloon drifted by, "Hey!" Jimmy called, holding another red balloon, "Hello, bud."

Adam turned around and raced to his father, "Daddy, you're back!"

Jimmy lifted his son up and twirled him around, SO thankful for what his Ganger had done for him, for what Angel had done as well, "Hello, my boy! How are you doing?"

The Doctor and Angel watched from a distance, though the Doctor's glance kept shifting to Angel as she didn't seem happy at all. He knew that expression on her face...it was like the one he'd seen when she'd asked him to take her to Jack. Like everything was just too much and...

He closed his eyes, swallowing hard as he tried to keep breathing despite the tightening of his hearts and chest, he prayed to the stars that Angel wasn't going to leave him and go back to Jack or something.

Not now.

Please, not now.

Not ever, really.

~8~

Cleaves, Dicken, and Buzzer stood in the lobby outside the main door of Morpeth Jetsan Headquarters with Gangers Dicken and Buzzer while Jennifer was in a hospital for treatment, being watched over by Ganger Cleaves who felt more responsible than the others for the state Jen was in, given she hadn't been able to stop Jen's Ganger from harming her. The TARDIS was parked a few feet away, the Doctor, Angel, Amy, and Rory standing with them, "You _really_ want us to do this?" Cleaves looked at the Doctor.

"They want to say that it's all over and taken care of," Angel told them quietly, "But it's not, and they need to know that. You need to tell them the truth."

"Make them understand what they're doing to the Flesh," the Doctor nodded, "Make them stop," he looked at the Gangers, "Dicken, Buzzer, remember, people _are_ good. In their bones, truly _good_. Don't hate them, will you?"

They nodded and Ganger Dicken added, "How can we hate them? We're one of them now."

"Mum always wanted another boy," Ganger Buzzer joked, "Not too sure she can handle two of us though," his original self laughed.

"Yeah," the Doctor laughed too, "And just remember, _people_ died. Don't let that be in vain. Make what you say in that room count."

Cleaves nodded, "Ready?" her crew nodded and they walked to the door, "Side by side."

"You got it, boss," they all said at once.

Cleaves opened the door and they could hear the press conference in full swing.

"Have the army dealt with the imposters?" a reporter asked before there were gasps as the Gangers stepped in, closing the door behind them.

Amy turned and nudged the Doctor, seeing him lost in thought, his gaze drifting to Angel as she stood by Rory who had a friendly arm around her shoulder, though the man's expression was concerned, "You ok?"

The Doctor swallowed, shaking his head once more, he needed to focus, he could deal with that later, with the fact that Angel was apparently somehow his Mate, but right now…he looked at Amy, "I said breathe, Pond, remember? Well, _breathe_."

"Why?"

"Breathe."

"And again, why?"

He sighed, "Get into the TARDIS," he turned and strode back, Amy and Rory following confusedly behind him.

Angel trailed behind them, crossing her arms as though trying to hug herself, knowing this wasn't going to end well. She may have bought them some time, in saving Jen and leading them where they had to go she had gotten them a moment or two more before things came to a head...but...she looked at her hand again, the one that had touched the Flesh, she knew, she _knew_ what was coming.

She'd worked it out.

The Doctor walked up to the console platform, Amy and Rory stopping at the bottom of the stairs while Angel walked past them to move behind the Doctor, towards the controls, "Doctor!" Rory shouted, "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry Amy," the Doctor looked at her, "But very soon now...the contractions are going to start."

"Contractions?"

Though no one but Angel seemed to notice Rory's gaze drift to her and not Amy, though the Doctor couldn't see her shake her head at her companion from behind.

The Doctor glanced at Rory, "She's going to go into labor."

Amy looked at Rory, just as confused, "Did he say...no, of course he didn't," she looked at the Doctor, "Did you say _contractions_?"

"You'll have to start explaining this to me, Doctor," Rory shook his head, "How could Amy be pregnant?"

"Never heard of the birds and the bees?" he countered, "She's having a baby. I needed to see the Flesh in its early days. That's why I scanned it. That's why we were there in the first place. I was going to drop you off for fish and chips first, but things happened and there was stuff and shenanigans. Beautiful word, shenanigans."

"But Doctor," Rory shook his head, "A…" he bit his lip, "AMY's not pregnant."

"I needed enough information to block the signal to the Flesh…"

"What _signal_?" Amy shook her head.

"The signal to _you_."

"Doctor?"

"Stand away from her, Rory."

"Why?" Rory gaped, putting his arm firmer around Amy, "No! And why?"

"Given what we've learned, I'll be as humane as I can, but I need to do this and you need to stand away!"

Rory looked at Angel, who was looking down, before turning to Amy, who shook her head, and then the Doctor, who was stone-faced, before slowly backing away, not sure what was happening.

"No," Amy gasped, "No!" she turned to the Doctor, "Doctor, I am _frightened_. I'm properly, properly scared."

"Don't be," he stepped over to her, "Just hold on. We'll find you," he put a hand on her shoulder.

She gripped his arm, "I'm _right here_!"

"No, you're not," he stepped back, "You haven't been here for a long, _long_ time," he pulled away, moving up a few steps and holding out the sonic to her.

He flicked it on.

And Amy…

Remained just where she was, solid and whole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What? What?! What!
> 
> Lol, not answering ;)


	21. The Almost People: Devastation

The Doctor blinked, turning the sonic on once more, flicking it at Amy on a higher power, before looking at it, wincing as he accidently flashed himself in the eyes in the process. He shifted a setting and tried to sonic the ginger girl again, before bashing it against his hand and trying one more time...only to give up, "I…I don't understand. You're _Flesh_!"

"Doctor I'm not Flesh!" Amy shouted, Rory rushing to hug her, seeing that whatever the Doctor had thought would happen hadn't.

"Amy's not the Ganger," Angel added quietly from behind him, a crack in her voice.

The Doctor spun around to face her, "But she _has_ to be! She's seen that woman, I ran the scans, it's the only explanation!"

"The sonic didn't work," Angel swallowed hard, looking for all the world as though she were trying not to cry, "Because AMY isn't the Ganger," she looked meaningfully at him, a heartsbroken expression on her face.

His mouth dropped open a moment, realizing what she was implying, and he lifted the sonic with a hesitant hand, scanning her but not sonicing her yet. He looked at the readings and then at her, stunned, "I…I don't…"

"I didn't know," she began, her voice breaking, "I really _didn't_ ," she sniffled, "I thought it was Amy too but...the Flesh...it wasn't Amy, it was ME."

She hadn't realized, she truly hadn't, she'd thought Amy was the Ganger, just like the Doctor had but when she'd touched the Flesh...they all thought her reaction was to the pain it was in, to the horror of what the humans did to it, but really that was only a small portion of it. She'd empathized with it, connected with it instantly, and well she should have...because SHE was Flesh herself. She felt more than the Doctor had, had been able to hear it and understand it because she WAS it.

It was why she had stared at Amy afterwards, she'd thought it was the ginger, but really it was _her_. She hadn't wanted to believe it, but she'd _seen_ it, she'd learned so much touching the Flesh, more than she had bargained for. It had shown her the truth of what she was, of what Amy wasn't. And it had hit her, near the end, when the adventure had calmed down, it had hit her what happened to her, she hadn't been able to believe that it was true, that she wasn't really there.

Because she knew what that meant, she knew why.

"But the woman..." the Doctor shook his head, staring at her in horror, how had he not realized?! How had he not seen that it wasn't Amy who was Flesh but someone so much closer to his hearts?

Angel took a breath, trying to speak without breaking down but...it was hard, it was _so_ hard, she'd only just worked it out herself and now she had to talk about it, "The crack in Amy's wall," she whispered, it being the only answer she could come up with, "You said it yourself, it changed how she thought, how she sees the world, how her mind works...she's been picking up the signal to me."

Amy had been picking it up, right from the start...but she hadn't realized it. She'd truly hadn't known that Amy was also seeing the woman with the eye patch until she'd mentioned it in the evac. tower. But SHE had seen it, all this time. When she and Amy had been in the orphanage, she'd stopped, she'd seen the panel on the door of the little girl's room, she'd been staring at it, and then Amy had too. When they'd been on Avery's ship, she'd been dreaming of the woman looking at her and talking to her, her face scrunched up, and had woken, not because Amy had jolted awake, but because the woman had closed the panel. And even just now, in the factory tunnels, she'd seen the woman in the wall before they'd run into Rory, had been about to speak to Amy about it, to tell her what she was seeing...only to learn in the evac. tower that Amy had already been seeing it. She'd been tracing the exact shape of the panel in the exact place it had appeared on the wall of the tower but it seemed no one had noticed.

She hadn't know, she _really_ hadn't. She'd thought that she was seeing what Amy was, some sort of next level of her abilities, like she'd grown strong enough to not just see the future but actually see the present as well, that she was seeing what Amy was. But now she knew it was the reverse, Amy was seeing what SHE was. The crack in her wall had made her more sensitive and susceptible to a signal like that but only when _she_ had been nearby.

"What scans were you talking about Doctor?" Rory asked as he and Amy stepped closer, the man had clearly thought something was wrong with Amy, had been scanning her, but he hadn't said what it was or why.

But the Doctor couldn't answer, only stare at Angel with wide eyes, still unable to believe he'd missed that! How had he let himself get so focused on Amy when ANGEL had been the one who needed help?

So Angel answered instead, "He thought Amy was pregnant," she looked at Rory meaningfully, knowing he'd understand what the scans had picked up, "But I was always too close," she turned to the Doctor, "I was always nearby or touching her," and she had been, Amy had taken her hand the first time, she'd tried to comfort Amy after the Siren, Amy had been touching her to show her how to play darts, "I was too close."

The scan...she wasn't certain what the scan had really picked up or how it worked. There were so many possibilities for the results it was getting. If it was scanning Amy, then it was seeing that the girl wasn't pregnant, but since SHE was too close, the scan was also getting her and she WAS pregnant. But even then...even if the scan had picked up more of her instead...a version of her _was_ pregnant, but the Ganger her wasn't real, it wouldn't register as really pregnant either, it would confuse the scans as much as her being too close to Amy had confused them now.

And she could see it, even now, in the Doctor's mind...he STILL wasn't seeing it. His mind wasn't making the connection of what she'd just said. The scans were to detect if Amy was pregnant, but she wasn't.

Amy _wasn't_ pregnant.

And if the scans kept coming up as positive/negative...and AMY wasn't pregnant, and SHE was too close...it should be obvious. But she could see it, he was overwhelmed, he was still struggling to understand how he hadn't realized, he wasn't seeing it, he wasn't seeing the truth before him. He still wasn't seeing that SHE was pregnant.

It should be obvious now, so much should be obvious, so much made sense to her now. Why she hadn't been made into a Ganger as well with the Doctor's, because she already was one, why she had connected so strongly to the Flesh, because she was it, even why...even why her visions and sensations were off.

She'd noticed her visions and feelings were fewer, even her power with the Vortex was off. She hadn't been able to bring up the Vortex as easily as before, even with Jen, even just now...it had taken more effort than it should have. Which she understood, Flesh and Vortex probably didn't mix well. The Flesh wasn't meant to hold the power of the Vortex, but it was something inside her, like her visions. And even then...it was her mind, her actual original mind that was in this body.

It was why she could still hear and feel the Doctor despite being a Ganger. His Ganger had been _a copy_ of him, not his original self, not his original mind. This was her real and actual mind that was there, that was able to connect to his. It was her mind that was seeing visions and her own internal strength that was making the Vortex...but her Flesh body was having trouble letting the Vortex out. She hadn't had to use much of it in past adventures, since America, she hadn't realized it...till just now, till using so much of it to help Jen...it had _hurt_. To let that power out, it had physically hurt, especially her hands, she hadn't been able to stop rubbing them, staring at them, because that was where the power was coming out of...and the Flesh was reacting against it.

"But…" he shook his head, feeling like he was unable to breathe, his hearts were pounding, and he just...he couldn't focus on anything, "How?"

She closed her eyes tightly, she'd worked it out as well, the Flesh had reminded her.

The Silence. The White House. The Bathroom.

With everything she and the Doctor were doing to remember the Silence...she remembered them, remembered encountering them in America, but there were other times, times she wasn't with the Doctor, that she had...forgotten. But she remembered more and more of it the more she thought on the aliens. And she remembered now. She remembered entering the toilet, she remembered the Silent standing there, speaking to it, she remembered turning to the door to go...and then stopping, wondering why she was leaving?

And then...it went black.

She'd woken up on the floor of the toilet, a lovely woman named Joy shaking her awake, and had thought that she'd just...had a dizzy spell, had fainted or something, because of the pregnancy, and had wanted to leave, had wanted to get back to the Doctor. She'd rushed out of there, wanted to get back to him, and felt...wrong. Her stomach had felt wrong, she'd barely felt the baby move within her, but she had such a STRONG sense that the baby was ok, that it was alive and ok that it had kept her from being concerned. But she realized now, it was her subconscious, the part of her that was still real, that could still feel the real baby inside her, inside the other her.

And that killed her because...the baby wasn't really in HER. It was in the other her. The copy made...it had only copied HER, not the baby, copied her appearance and let her mind control it, but hadn't copied every single detail about her. It was like a doll, frozen in time, or an action figure. She knew little boys would play with their action figures and sometimes melt a part of it, that part would always be melted, even though the original was whole. She looked pregnant, but she was a frozen image of herself.

"The Silence," she whispered, though they could all hear her, "There was one it the bathroom in the White House."

"Ever since then?" the Doctor stared at her as she nodded, looking at him with tears in her eyes, "But why did they take you?" it didn't make sense...

No, actually it _did_ , it really did. Not only was Angel the Last Time Lady, which made her one of the most valuable treasures in the Universe, whole worlds would fight each other to the death for a single cell of a Time Lord or a drop of blood. She was also the one person who knew everything about time travel and TARDISes, more than even him. If the Silence were trying to build a TARDIS, they would need Angel's knowledge. There was also the fact that she was psychic, which would be an incredible asset for anyone to have. She had the Vortex inside her, could wield it to a point. And she was...

"They don't want _me_ ," Angel breathed, the tears falling from her eyes now, her walls breaking down as everything finally hit her, "No one _ever_ wants me," she let out a sob, unable to hold it in anymore, everything finally taking its toll on her, the Doctor's regeneration, his amnesia, the pregnancy, River, her kidnapping, "No one wants me…not my Mate, not my family on Gallifrey, not even my _enemies_ want me…" she sunk to her knees, one hand gripping the railing behind her, in tears, it was too much, it was all too much.

"Your Mate?" he swallowed, it was just...he didn't understand, Amy had said he was her Mate, that he had Mated to Angel, but...he didn't have any recollection of it at all, he'd _remember_ something like that, that wasn't something you forgot, it was too...sacred, too important, too life changing, it wasn't ever just forgotten! So...why couldn't he bring himself to deny it now? He looked at Angel, his hearts breaking to see her so hurt, "You mean _me_ ," she looked up at him, seeming startled, shocked that he seemed to know that he was her Mate, according to Amy, "They took you to get to me, as bait for some sort of trap and..."

He trailed off when he saw Angel shaking her head sadly, "No, they don't want you either. That's the LAST thing they want."

"What?" _that_ made no sense. If they didn't want her, which he couldn't understand why anyone would ever NOT want someone as amazing as Angel, then they _had_ to want him! They had to know he'd come after her, walk willingly into any sort of trap, give himself up, if it would mean she was released and safe again.

"They don't want you...and they don't want me..."

It was too late. It was too late now. If only she'd been more clever, had worked it out earlier, she'd have had time, been able to leave, been able to get other help. But there was no time left anymore. Because she hadn't worked it out till just now. She saw it in his mind, Amy had let slip about the Mating...and now...now it was time for her to tell him another thing that had been kept from him, something so much more important than her.

She didn't care anymore, she didn't care if he denied the Mating, if he couldn't remember who she was to him, if he didn't believe her that the baby was his. She didn't care, this was so far beyond anything she had dealt with, beyond anything she knew she could handle on her own, she didn't know what to do and she didn't have time to work it out any longer. So she didn't care if he learned the truth now, he could deny it all he wanted, she just wanted him to help her, which she knew he would, he was the Doctor.

She just... _she needed help_.

"Then what _do_ they want?" he shook his head.

Angel took a breath, holding it, closing her eyes tightly as she bit her lip, before showing him exactly what they wanted by placing her hand on her stomach.

Her swelling stomach.

Her ROUND stomach.

Her _pregnant_ stomach.

The Doctor's eyes widened at that, the jacket, her layered cardigan was falling open, her flowing dress not hiding it any longer as she put her hands on her stomach, pressing the fabric to it, and he could see it now. All he could do was...stare...

First in shock…

And then in _anger_.

His fists clenched, "Who?" he demanded, a fury unlike any he'd ever known swept though him and he had no idea why. He felt anger, a true and deep anger, rising in his very soul, his hearts pounding, fury coursing through his blood, his mind racing, as he started to shake, feeling truly furious and angry...

"Who what?" Angel shook her head, so confused as she looked up at him.

"Who _touched_ you?" he demanded, a growl to his voice as his fists started to shake, his knuckles turning white, looking as though he wanted nothing more than to murder someone.

Angel could only blink, after what she'd _just_ shown him, he _still_ wasn't seeing it, "What do you mean?"

There was only ONE way this could have happened! Even if she'd been with another man...though she felt ill at just the thought of betraying him like that...a child _couldn't_ come! And if, somehow, it had been the Master's...another thought that made her hearts twist painfully...it would have been born AGES ago! She had been with _him_ the entire time they'd faced the Master the last! She hadn't been alone with the Master at all, only on the _Valiant_ and even then...nothing. There was only ONE Time Lord left, only one man that could possibly father this child. Was his mind so against being her Mate? Was the memory so deeply buried? What did it mean that even now, even knowing all he did, that he STILL didn't see it?

"I want to know who touched _my Mate_!" he snapped, nearly snarled at the anger bursting through him. And then he realized...that felt _right_ , calling her his Mate. That felt like the most natural thing in the Universe, the most familiar word when it came to her, the most... _right_. She was _his_ , she was his Mate, and someone had…

"You!" Angel shouted through her tears, not wanting him to ever, ever, _ever_ believe that she would have _ever_ done what his mind was thinking, " _You did_. When we finished the Mating process just after Sarah Jane's wedding. YOU are my Mate, I would _never_ let _anyone_ else…"

The Doctor blinked, suddenly feeling like he'd been punched in the gut at her words, at the hurt in Angel's voice, at the fact that the baby was HIS. All the air felt like it was leaving his lungs...before stars exploded behind his eyes and then…memories assaulted him, actually _driving him to his knees_ in pain of their intensity…

~oOo~

_"I need this, I need this to be my last memory, me and you, dancing in the snow, me singing to you, with you in my arms. Us together."_

_Angel nodded, laying her head on his shoulder, holding him close as they danced._

_"...I just want you for my own," he began to sing to her, "More than you could ever know, make my wish come true," he nuzzled his nose against her temple, "All I want for Christmas is...you," he swallowed hard, "All I want for Christmas, is you."_

~oOo~

_"I want you to bond to the TARDIS too."_

_"But…the ONLY time two people bond to the same TARDIS is when…" is when they take a Mate._

_"My name is Theta."_

_"I think we should start working on establishing a mental bond."_

_He pulled her towards him, peppering her face with kisses, making her laugh her beautiful laugh before truly giving her a proper kiss, pulling away quite a few moments later to just hug her tightly, his hearts swelling at the fact that her first words to him through their bond was that she loved him as well._

_She wasn't here. Angel wasn't there. He couldn't feel her at all. God it hurt...it hurt so badly...he felt like he couldn't breathe_ _…_

_"But that's impossible!" he shouted, emotional bonds were supposed to take years to form._

_"I suppose it's a good thing we didn't finish the Mating process then. When I…you won't…and…"_

_"…we never finished the Mating process. So…I was thinking, to make your birthday extra special…that maybe…we should...if you wanted…maybe…"_

_"Finish it?"_

_"Yeah."_

_"I think I can't imagine a better gift."_

~oOo~

**_He…he was probably one of the only people who wasn't scared of my abilities…_ **

_"You…don't think I'm odd?"_

_"I think you're fantastic."_

~oOo~

_He dashed off to the door where Margaret was waiting and let her out, "Come on psychic!"_

_"Oi, watch it thief!" she countered with a laugh, running after him._

_"You make me that happy," he whispered, pushing as strand of hair behind her ears, "Psychic."_

_"Thief," she laughed at what had seemed to become their playful nicknames for each other._

_"My psychic," he kissed the side of her head._

_"My thief," she joked back as John grinned widely before dropping onto a plush chair, pulling her, laughing, down onto his lap as he wound his arms around her, holding her close, gazing up at her in the gentle awe that always seemed to be on his face._

~oOo~

**_He…he treated me like I was special..._ **

_He looked at her, his gaze softening, "I like to think you're more than just a simple companion."_

_"You? Useless? Never ever."_

_"You get one trip, then back home. I'd rather it be just Angel and I."_

_'You're wonderful, you know,' he whispered to her in her mind._

_"You've gotten much better at all this. You're…just blossoming," he stroked her cheek._

~oOo~

_Staring back at him, face pale, dark bruises under her dark eyes from want of sleep, lips cracked dry, gaunt and worn, was a Time Lady…_

_"The Angel."_

_"It's beautiful."_

_"Off you go then! Your first date."_

_"I wouldn't be talking if I were you," Rose gestured between him and Angel._

_"I'm sure he would, Rose. I'm absolutely certain. That's why…" he suddenly reached out and grabbed Angel, pulling her to him as he spun her around perfectly, dipping her sharply, earning a laugh of delight from her that made him beam._

_"It's not a date!" he shouted at Margaret, "At least not with you."_

_He reached forward and gently pulled her into his arms, carefully leaning down and kissing her, the Vortex flowing out of her eyes and into his as they did so._

_"…when I saw you crying, all I wanted to do was make you feel better, cheer you up. And when I realized it was Rose that made you sad I…I was gonna leave her on Earth, so she couldn't hurt you anymore. I care about you, so much. And it's not just this version of me, I did before. I just…I couldn't express it, I was too hurt, too scarred, too broken from the War. But I'm better now, YOU made me better, you healed me and fit me back together and mended pieces I didn't even know had been broken and…"_

_"That means we're standing under mistletoe," he pulled her into his arms, giving her a quick peck._

_"You never have to hide anything from me. Ever"_

_"I want you to see how amazing I think you are, how fantastic, how brilliant. And I know you won't believe me without seeing it in my head and in my hearts first."_

_"You go with your companion and I'll go with mine," he didn't like the idea of being separated from her._

_He looked around, spotting Rose's blonde hair first, the small smile on his face blooming into a full blown beam as he saw Angel standing there beside her, face returned. She looked over and her face just lit up at seeing him. He ran to her, scooping her into his arms as he spun her around, hugging her tightly._

_"Except that implies, in this big grand scheme of Gods and Devils and Angels and Demons, that she's just a victim. But I've seen a lot of this Universe. I've seen fake gods and bad gods and demi-gods and would-be gods, out of all that, out of that whole pantheon, if I believe in one thing...just one thing...I believe in HER!"_

_"New lips. Gotta get used to them."_

_"I can help you there…" he leaned forward and kissed her again, shifting to sit beside her on the edge of the bed, kissing her deeply, the two of them just taking time to revel in the fact that they had survived, they were together, they were alive._

_"I'm always thinking of you Nella. Every moment of every hour of every day. And I'll never ever stop."_

_Angel stepped out of Trish's home, knowing he was back, and ran over to him. He held his arms out and scooped her up into them as they hugged each other, him spinning around as he held her. He put her down a moment later, only to pull her into a deep kiss, so relieved they were both alright._

_"Yeah, well, you can hug me later. You too, Frank, if you want. But you Angel, I expect a kiss."_

_"I rather liked the idea of giving you two hearts instead of just this humble one."_

_Slowly he leaned towards her and kissed her gently, "I think I could spend the rest of my life doing that."_

_"How can you think that we're not real? When we kiss, is that not real?" he pressed her hand to his heart, "How fast my heart beats when you're around…is that not real?"_

_"I love her Jack, more than anything, and I want to be with her for the rest of my lives. That's what Mating is, we bind ourselves to another person mentally, emotionally, and physically. We can never be with another, nor would I want to."_

_"But two can play at that game," and with that, he leaned forward and kissed her deeply, making her squirm against him. He lowered her arms, trailing his hands down them till he found the sonic, grabbing it, and stepping back, "Ha ha!" he cried, victorious, holding up the sonic._

_The thought of a child of his existing, not related to Angel…it made his hearts hurt._

_"I meant the…the detox, though the kiss was rather spectacular too…"_

_He knew in his heart of hearts, there would be no moving on from the woman. She was…she was just his everything. He'd rather live to the end of eternity without her than love anyone else._

_"Angel's dying. She's going to die. And I'd rather die with her than live without her, not for anyone."_

_She wanted it to be as normal as possible. And he was not one to deny her anything._

_He was not one for walking away from an adventure, but…he could give up this one trip for her._

_He hugged her back tightly, his hearts breaking knowing that he would have only a limited amount of time with her before some other man would take his place._

~oOo~

**_He was a great man, the best..._ **

_"Maybe I imprinted more than just that bit of your personality then. You're fantastic as well."_

_"It's just…hard…to believe someone actually thinks I'm special. Especially someone as wonderful as you."_

_"Settling for the most remarkable man in the world? Of course I realized, that's why I stayed put."_

_"I haven't the faintest. But you will, 'cos you…are fantastic."_

_"It's true though. He's absolutely fantastic on a good day…"_

~oOo~

_"Fantastic," he beamed, walking over to her and putting his arm around her shoulders, tugging her just a bit away from Mickey..._

_"I don't want to leave you here alone with Toby," he didn't like not being there to protect her._

_He wasn't sure what to feel, relieved she was alright, or terrified that she was surrounded by Daleks._

_"Angela please, I need to know you're safe if we're attacked."_

_"Easy! But…first things first," he turned to Angel, a solemn look in his eyes, "I'm so sorry," he whispered to her, taking her face in his hands, stroking her cheeks with his thumbs as he rested his fingertips to her temples. He closed his eyes a moment, resting his forehead to hers...before she collapsed into his arms, unconscious, him catching her before she could fall. He gently laid her down on the floor, brushing his knuckles against her cheek, moving his hand to tuck a lock of hair behind her ears, just...taking a moment to gaze at her before determination set in and he jumped up, rushing to a terminal…_

~oOo~

**_So kind and curious and mad..._ **

_"We can help..."_

_"We're at the edge of knowledge itself…come on!" he took Angel's hand and the two walked briskly off._

_He pressed a button and a flame shot into the sky, igniting it. He smiled, watching it go before pulling Angel to him, holding her hand as they watched._

~oOo~

_He slipped a bracelet on and tossed one to Margaret, watching her put it on before turning to Angel and holding out his arm, "Shall we?"_

_He was lying on his coat, his arm wrapped around Angel's waist as she laid beside him…_

_"You got any feelings about all this?" he asked her, absently stroking her arm._

_"Oh, I cried," he nodded, wrapping an arm around Angel as they lay on the bed._

_Jenkins drove the jeep as Angel sat between them, him with his arm firmly around her shoulders._

~oOo~

**_God the things we used to get into…_ **

_"And it is gonna be...fantastic," Rose smiled at the use of his old catchphrase. He just reached out and took Angel's hand, looking up at the stars._

_He dropped onto the sofa beside Angel, absently taking her hand left hand in his own left as he draped his right arm around her shoulders, "Y'know, Angela and I've been to Belgium…"_

_He inhaled deeply, taking Angel's hand as they crossed the room and headed through a door, walking down a staircase to see the surface of the planet, a huge city filled with book shelves._

_"Enjoy your trip," the Hostess nodded._

_"Oh, we can't wait!" he took Angel's hand, "Allons-y!"_

~oOo~

 _He leaned his head against the inside of the doors, helpless, the battle cries of the Daleks echoing, ringing in his ears, dragging hated memories to the surface…a_ _nd then something pressed up against him. H_ _e felt warm arms wrap around him and a head rest against his back, just squeezing him in comfort, offering their strength, but more importantly offering him understanding, offering someone to share his pain in. He turned around in her arms and hugged Angel to him as the cries of the Daleks continued_ _..._

_She reached out, placing her hand on his cheek, stroking it gently, "Come back to me," she searched his eyes, seeing a sparkle starting to appear, "Please..." and slowly, he reached out and put his hand over hers, holding it there a moment as his eyes fell shut. He took a breath, his hand starting to grip hers before his eyes opened, the darkness gone for now._

_"But if you could choose, if you decide who lives and who dies...that would make you a monster."_

_"But that won't ever happen. I won't let it," he smiled and kissed her head._

_"I suppose, in the end…they break my heart."_

_"And I shall always be here to piece it together again," Angel told him softly, kissing him gently..._

~oOo~

**_He would just gob on and on about technology or science or history, damn if I could ever keep up with him, but it didn't matter 'cos, just the sound of his voice…_ **

_"I like it when you talk…you say very interesting things."_

_"This gob doesn't stop for anything…well, it stops for Angel. That woman can kiss…"_

_According to her even when he gobbed on about tech in a manner she couldn't follow, she just loved the sound of his voice, it soothed her._

~oOo~

_There was something about her that drew him in, like a moth to a flame, and he wasn't about to resist._

_"It's gotta be the teleports. They're ripping holes in time and space just using them to go back…I'm sorry," he pulled her to him, kissing the top of her head, "I'm so sorry."_

_"She's got a connection with the TARDIS I can't even begin to understand. She should be worse than me…but she's not. I think her hearts are too big to see you as anything but her brother. She's remarkable."_

_"No one's ever meant to have that power. If a Time Lord did that, he'd become a god, a vengeful god. But…not Angel…she just wanted to help, to protect, to guard. The guardian angel of the Universe she is."_

_"Shouldn't have…I shouldn't have…it hurts! Please…please make it stop!" his eyes filled with tears as he scooped her into his arms, sitting on the chair and cradling her as she sobbed._

_This was his fault. If it not for him…she wouldn't be in such pain…there was no medicine he could give her, nothing he could do to help. All he could do was hold her, wait, and pray she could ever forgive him._

_"Some new man gets to be with her and I'm stuck watching from the sidelines."_

_He didn't want to go, he didn't want to leave her…he didn't want someone else to take her from him…_

~oOo~

**_And, he used to hold my hand when we walked…_ **

_"Talk too much. That's me," he beamed at her before taking her hand and walking off with her._

_They headed off towards the Powell Estates, Angel and him hand in hand…_

_"Then we shall bid you goodnight," John said, putting his hat on and taking Angela's hand, leading her off with Joan back towards the school._

_He and Angel walked through the snow hand in hand as Donna walked beside them._

_He just lay on the floor, panting, grabbing Angel's hand in his own._

~oOo~

_Vaguely, he wondered who that sweetie person was, one of the crew? River couldn't have been talking to him. She wasn't Angel. Only Angel could call him by a pet name. Sweetie, it wasn't HIM. HE was thief. Angel's thief. Like she was his psychic_

_"You've seen me before, then?" he leaned away from her touch till River dropped her hand. No one, in his mind, but Angel had the right to be that familiar with him._

_"It doesn't matter at all who River MIGHT be. Not to me. YOU are my Mate Angel, YOU. And I'm not ever going to find another one. And I don't need to be a precog to know that."_

~oOo~

**_Give me little kisses on the back of it…_ **

_"Of course," he kissed her hand, "Anything."_

_"We promised to take care of each other," he reminded her lightly, kissing the back of her hand, "You've taken such good care of me, it's my turn."_

_He grinned and kissed the back of her hand, "We live in hope."_

~oOo~

_"I order you to leave her!" he demanded angrily, a dangerous glint in his eyes._

_"Because NOW, Detective Inspector Bishop!" he shouted, furious beyond anything he had ever felt, "There is no power in this Universe that can stop me!_

_"Then she will be EXTERMINATED!" the first Dalek shouted, pointing its laser at Angel._

_"Do that and you won't like what happens next," he called standing in the doorway._

_"Get back!" he nearly snarled, the darkness rearing to life at the sight of his Mate writhing in pain._

_"Daleks!" he stormed forward, beyond pissed at how close Angel had come to nearly being hit by the laser in a move to save Solomon…_

_"I will do anything to protect you," there was a threat in his voice that told her he really would…_

_"I'll do it, Staal. If it saves the Earth, if it saves Angel, I'll do it."_

_"Angel…Angel!" he closed his eyes for a moment before opening them, his eyes now full of fury, rage, danger, and darkness as he stood to his height and turned to face the humans, "You've taken my Mate!"_

~oOo~

**_And he was just so understanding, he felt so much for others even though he felt so sad inside…_ **

_"Her and the Isolus..." he muttered, unconsciously reaching out to take Angel's hand as she stood beside him, "Two lonely kids who need each other."_

_"He needs you. That's very us," he agreed, as he put his arm around Angel's shoulders._

_"You're just like Angel, you've no desire for revenge. That's what makes you remarkable. And that's how you create history."_

~oOo~

_"Can we just GO!" Angel snapped suddenly. They looked at her, stunned at her reaction but she just rubbed her head, "Sorry…this headache's killing me."_

_"Just a chill. I'm a bit cold is all. I'm fine," he rubbed her arm absently, trying to warm her as well._

_Donna pointed back at Angel as she leaned against a fence coughing. His eyes widened at the sight, she shouldn't have been that affected by the smoke…_

_The results were exactly the same as the ones the Master had run on her when she'd first collapsed on the Valiant. Her body was failing in exactly the same way it was during the Year-That-Never-Was. She was dying...again…_

_He swallowed hard, his hand stroking her hair, "She's dying."_

_"I did good then?"_

_"Yeah," he nodded, turning her to hold her close, "You did good."_

_"You're not allowed to go anywhere. Not before me," he just closed his eyes, holding her close._

_"I'm cold," she breathed and he could see her shivering despite the hot water, "I'm just...so cold. That's not good, is it?"_

_"You need a good death," Angel said quietly, despite hating death, she knew it was a natural part of life, and she knew, it was...necessary, "Without death, we'd never appreciate life," she murmured, "Dying makes us cherish everything," his smile faded._

_"Breathe, slowly…" he stroked her cheeks with his thumbs, trying to calm her, "That's it, one deep breath at a time, with me," he inhaled deeply, holding her gaze as she slowly did the same, "I'm here. I'm alright. See?" he smiled at her as she slowly started to get her breath back and felt his hearts restart._

_She tried to hide it and for the most part she could, but he could see her. She'd been exhausted, she wasn't sleeping, she wasn't eating…_

_"...I brought her here to help her relax 'cos she's dying, and this whole situation, all of it, it's not helping her any. But we have all got to calm down and cool off and think."_

_His eyes filled with tears knowing where her mind was headed. She wanted to be surrounded by friends if she passed on…Rose was the only one they wouldn't have been able to get to, now she was back._

_He quickly ran to her side, scanning her with the sonic. He blinked, staring at the sonic in horror, "You're liver's shut down completely, your kidneys are close. And your lungs are…"_

_"You can't come," he told her, stroking the side of her face, "Your body…it's just so weak Angel and I…"_

_"Angel…" he breathed, his eyes wide in a mixture of relief at seeing her still alive and terror at seeing her once again consumed in the Vortex._

~oOo~

**_He…he used to call me his angel…_ **

_He smiled, "You really are an angel aren't you?"_

_"That is so human. Where angels fear to tread…mind you, not my Angel, she's brilliant."_

_He kissed her lightly, "You," he looked at her pointedly, "Are an angel."_

~oOo~

_"You've stolen Rose's body. And shoved my Mate into a holding cell!"_

_"We're Mates."_

_"And not the friendly sort eh?"_

_"I wouldn't pick anyone less than absolutely amazingly brilliant to be my Mate."_

_"I want my Mate restored and I think that's beyond a little backstreet electrician…"_

_"The Doctor will not. You threatened my Mate, you're lucky to still be alive right now."_

_"Good," he said before putting an arm around Angel, "'Cos I've already got a Mate."_

_His Mate had been abducted, his friend was unconscious and here was this stupid woman trying to sell him HAPPY?_

_"Most definitely this page. I should think my wife looks nothing like that!" he laughed at the Slitheen._

_"I'm John Smith. I'm John Smith. And you're Angela, my wife. That's all I want to be John Smith, with his life...and his job...and his wife. Why can't I be John Smith? Why can't we be the Smiths?"_

_He was lying curled up on the bottom of his cage…feeling the utter torment his Mate was in._

_"I'm the Doctor and this is my Mate, the Angel. We're Time Lords. We're from the planet Gallifrey ... "_

_"I know! No, I've got a Mate, you would just be…a mate!"_

_"I call my Mate psychic, she's really not though, sort of is. She's like you, she can see through time."_

_"My Mate," he put his arm around Angel and pulled her close, "Right here."_

_"You have a gun. My Mate is in the room. I don't like people with guns and my Mate in the same room."_

_"Take me not Angel. You can do anything to me, torture me, kill me, I don't care, just get my Mate out!"_

_"Time Lord, TARDIS, enemy of the Cybermen, Mate of the Angel. The one and the only."_

_"Hello, I'm the Doctor and this is my Mate Angel! Happy Easter!"_

_"You're my Mate. It's my job to know important life changing events like the day you were born."_

_"Ok," he stepped over, gently pushing the Torchwood men back, "Enough men touching my Mate thank you."_

_"Right, yes, ok, you got us. So I'm the Doctor, this is my Mate Angel, and you are?"_

~oOo~

**_His guardian angel…_ **

_"You truly are a guardian angel you know. You just want to protect everyone."_

_"YOU are my angel, my guardian angel."_

_"You truly are my angel you know. My guardian angel, guiding my way."_

~oOo~

_"I have grown tired with the Universe, Doctor. You and your Mate have taught me to look at it anew."_

_"The Doctor, his Mate, and his companion. That's a pattern isn't it, right?"_

_"Who is this little physician and his Mate?"_

_"John Smith, admitted yesterday by his girlfriend, Angela Jones, with severe abdominal pains…"_

_"Which one of them do you want us to kill? Maid or Mate? Your friend, or your lover? Your choice."_

_"Are you asking me out on a date? How would your Mate feel about that?"_

_"And the breath of a Pyrovile will incinerate you, Doctor. And your Mate!"_

_"We're not even the same species, there's probably laws against it. And anyway, he's already got a Mate, and that's Angel."_

_"It's sort of like she's his wife…but more than that. They're just…so connected. They're everything to each other."_

_"So very full of fire, is he not, even when his Mate has perished?"_

_"You and your Mate will be deleted."_

_"All those bright companions and your shining Mate! But not anymore?"_

_"…and of your Mate. She is a legend of her own now. The woman of Earth and air, an angel among mortals, the shining light that burns in the heart of time."_

_"No, I just said you were a doctor and his wife, that's all."_

~oOo~

**_His guiding light…_ **

_She was always there for him, his light in the darkness, his angel. But she wasn't there now…she wasn't there to guide them all out of the darkness with her warmth and her hearts._

~oOo~

_He quickly wrapped an arm around her waist, "Well, we're the Lord and Lady of Time."_

_"This Angel…she must mean an awful lot to you."_

_"She's my life."_

_He put his arm around Angel's waist, "Got a soothsayer of my own, she's never been wrong yet."_

~oOo~

**_He was the first man I'd ever loved and will probably be the last man I ever love…_ **

_"Ok, so he's vanished into thin air. Why is it always the GREAT looking ones who do that?"_

_"I thought those sorts disappeared in TARDISes?"_

_"Next time use the sonic. I don't care what happened to me, I don't want you hurt because of it, ok? Just take the time to think, I know you'll save me. I trust you."_

_"If what I feel for you and what you feel for me is in anyway based on them. She loves him more than anything in the world."_

_"At least I'm free. This time I'm not a prisoner. I'm with people I love."_

_Malcolm grabbed him into a large hug, "Oh! Oh, I love you. I love you, I love you."_

_"Me too," Angel added squeezing his hand._

~oOo~

_Cassandra frowned suddenly, "Oh, so sad, he loves you though."_

_"You're completely mad," Cassandra replied, "I can see why Angel loves you."_

_-My Doctor, I have seen many things through your eyes, in your mind, but nothing burns more brightly in you than the love you have for your Angel. And I can tell, she loves you as well.-_

_He reached out his other hand, lightly tracing her face, "I love you."_

_She reached up and pulled him towards her, resting her forehead against his own, 'I love you too.'_

_"If they get back in touch...if you talk to Angel...just tell her...tell her I…oh, she knows."_

_'Yes I do,' she whispered, 'I love you too.'_

_"Because I love you. On Gallifrey it was an arraigned marriage, we were cordial, but that was as far as it went…but I love YOU."_

_"I grow more in love with her as time goes on."_

_"I'm glad I regenerated, because this one is braver than the last one. This one could tell you how he felt. How much he loved you."_

_Angel tried to smile as she touched the glass and the hand started to move, "I think it likes me."_

_He smiled softly at her, "Well I love you."_

_He loved Angel with both his hearts and she did him, but they both liked having others around…_

_"I've done plenty of that. Travelling on my own. I love it, not as much as I love travelling with Angel."_

~oOo~

**_But…he's gone now…_ **

_"But your heart grows cold. I do foretell, you'll forget all about your beloved…Angel."_

_"Oh, big mistake 'cos that name keeps me fighting!"_

~oOo~

_"I was sad. I was sad 'cos I was alone, but I'm not anymore am I? Neither of us are."_

_"I thought I'd lost you. Everything is gone. I can't lose you too."_

_He didn't ever want to lose her, not again, "We'll take care of each other. Keep each other safe."_

_"You've got me now and, like you said before to Van Statten, two Time Lords are better than one."_

_"Oh honestly Doctor. But that was US. WE did that. You're not alone anymore. Remember?"_

_"I will never leave you."_

_He knelt before the screen, reaching out to touch it, a sad, intense look on his face. "I'm on my way."_

_"You cannot help me this time Doctor. Please…go…"_

_"No. Not without you."_

' _Just hold on. I'm coming for you._ '

_"We don't have a choice. They won't leave us and I won't leave you."_

_"They won't get us. Neither of us, I won't let them take you from me."_

_"Whatever we do. We do together. We go together, or we stay together, always."_

_"It happened again and she died that time Jack, she died. I won't ever let that happen to her again."_

_"I just…I don't…I don't want to leave you alone."_

_"I'll find a way to stop this. I promise you, I will. I won't lose you."_

_"I'm not leaving you. I'm going to spend the rest of my time with you, not locked away in the TARDIS."_

_"I always worry about you," he kissed her forehead …_

_"But I did some things that went wrong. And Angel…I nearly lost her because of it…"_

_"You will never lose me."_

~oOo~

**_He's gone and…I don't think he'll ever come back…_ **

_"Doctor!" Angel shouted, pushing herself up to check on him._

_He frowned at her, grabbing her shoulders and looking her in the eye, "There's something else, I'm forgetting something…something important."_

~oOo~

_"YOU are my Mate. My ONLY Mate. EVER. I don't want another one. I won't, no matter what. Because I LOVE you and only you, forever."_

~oOo~

_"My name is Nella."_

~oOo~

The Doctor gasped, gripping his head as he panted, before looking up at Angel, tears in his wide eyes, ' _Nella…_ ' she heard his voice, HIS voice, whisper in her mind before she nearly collapsed in on herself in tears of relief…

He scrambled over to where she was kneeling, not caring how undignified or foolish he looked, only seeing that his Mate was crying and hurt, "Oh God…" he breathed, taking her face in his hands, frantically stroking her cheeks with his thumbs, his eyes darting back and forth as he took in her face, her face that was so _pained_ , how could he?! How could he have forgotten her? His Angel, his Nella, his Mate?!

"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry!"

Angel winced at the words his last self had said so often, before she took a breath, and forced herself to look up at him a moment and it was _there_ , in his eyes, he _knew_. She could see it...he _remembered_. She let out a sob and scrunched her eyes shut once more, too many emotions hitting her at once. She shook her head, almost in disbelief that it had finally happened, burying her face in her hands and he pulled her to him, murmuring 'I'm Sorry's in her ear as he held her, his chin on her head, rocking her back and forth, his hearts breaking with every sob that racked her body.

And then he blinked, something hitting him, and pulled away to look at her, "Sarah Jane's wedding…" he swallowed hard, "But that...that was almost..." he stared at her in horror, working it out.

"Three years," she nodded.

"Oh my God," he looked down at her stomach, knowing it wouldn't appear as though she were nearly fully gestated as the Flesh was a copy made _months_ ago, nearly...nearly 8 months ago and he saw her thinking how she had been 3 months into her last trimester by the time they reached America. It didn't look it...but she was very nearly ready to give birth.

She grabbed his hand and he looked at her, "Wake me up," she whispered, but he shook his head slowly, " _Please_ ," she begged, "I don't want them to take the baby away from me," she could barely speak, could barely get the words out she was gasping in her fear, pressing the sonic into his hand, shifting the setting back to the one that would deactivate the signal to her, ' _Please Theta._ '

He let out a shuddering breath at hearing her voice in his mind, hearing her speak _his name_ , something he hadn't heard in SO long, whatever it was that had blocked his memories seemed to have been able to block his mind from hearing her and feeling her as well. He closed his eyes tightly, hearing the pleading note, the desperation in her voice, the fear, and nodded, he had never been able to deny her anything.

He looked at her, cupping her face with his free hand, "I'm _coming_ for you," he swore, "We're coming, I _swear_ it. No matter what. Whatever happens, however hard, however far, I _will_ find you, I will get you back."

Angel nodded, squeezing his wrist and he rested his head on her forehead a moment, steeling himself for what he needed to do, before he pulled back and stood up. He took three agonizing steps away from her and looked down at her, tears in his eyes, eyes that were so full of grief, sorrow, and anger. He held out the sonic with a shaking hand.

" _Nothing_ will stop me," he whispered to her, a dark promise in his voice, an edge to his words, "No power in this _Universe_ will stop me."

Angel nodded, "I know," she tried to offer him a smile, but couldn't she was shaking so terribly, so she closed her eyes instead, waiting.

The Doctor swallowed hard, his hands shaking even more as he struggled to do it. He clenched his jaw and flicked on the sonic...

And Angel melted before his very eyes.

~8~

Angel woke with a gasp, dressed in a white hospital gown, to find herself inside what looked like a MRI machine, completely white, which she knew was only an advanced sort of harness to connect her to her Flesh avatar.

A window slid open above her and the woman with the eye patch smiled down at her, "Oh, you've woken up," she sighed, knowing it was too dangerous to try and send out another Ganger of her, the signal had been deactivated purposefully, the Doctor knew what had happened, they had to prepare, especially because... "It won't be long now till you're ready to pop, will it? Such a joy" she smirked, "Little one's on its way…"

Angel gave her a hard look before turning her attention to her very large stomach, larger than her Ganger's had been, putting a protective hand over it and closing her eyes.

~8~

The Doctor stood there, in the TARDIS, rigid, staring down at the pile of Flesh before him, the liquid that represented _his Mate and child_. His arm slowly dropped, his hands curling into fists, his shoulders tensing as his eyes narrowed at the white goop.

A dark and dangerous aura seemed emit from him, one that made the Ponds shift and look at each other in concern, actually step back in caution of it, able to feel it even from there because they realized something...

The Doctor, _Angel's Mate_ , the Oncoming Storm, was back.

And the Silence...they had _no idea_ what they had done or what was coming for them, did they?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh. My. God. The Doctor remembers... O.O Run...just run!
> 
> Lol, I really hope you didn't see this chapter coming ;)
> 
> I know you all probably think this chapter is really short...since it's basically just 5 minutes of the episode with TONS of flashbacks...but I really, really wanted the fluff back and to show all those moments he'd forgotten hitting him, all those simple little moments that made their relationship what it was...think of it as a homage to Thella :) There were SO many scenes I wanted to add, but in a way I wanted it to be mostly the little things because it really shaped the relationship they had :) The Doctor didn't remember her last chapter, the memory-flashes there were of him thinking of the things that didn't make sense, like...how Liz 10 could even know about Mating and all the feelings he had that he didn't understand, NOT actually him remembering, that was here ;)
> 
> Just imagine what's coming next now that the FLUFF OFFICIALLY WILL RETURN! Woo! But, well, I mentioned in a prior note that I'd be doing the prequel to AGMGTW firsts...so we may need to wait a moment for that }:) And, I mentioned somewhere before, I can promise, this WON'T be an Angel just forgives and forgets thing, she's forgiving by nature, she MAY possibly forgive him depending on whether it was his fault he forgot (we still have to find out what happened }:)) but she and the Doctor will still have A LOT to work on, fluff will return, but there will still be plenty of tension and issues to resolve :)
> 
> And, to try and answer a question or two now that I think might come up...yes, I did say I had done 2 stories where Amy had been taken in the bathroom and not before they got to America like Moffat had mentioned, I said I didn't do that here. And I didn't. AMY wasn't the one taken in the bathroom ;) And yes...I DID say Jack would meet the Ponds before Demons Run ;) Yes, River is still Melody Pond, she's still Amy's daughter, but...Amy ISN'T pregnant here...so...we'll have to wait and see how that works ;)


	22. God Help Us

Dorium Maldovar hummed lightly to himself as he pushed past a mass of dangling chains that made up the door to the back room of his club. He smiled, seeing two Headless Monks ahead of him, waiting, another standing beside the door he'd just come from.

"Gentlemen!" he greeted, walking right up to them, not at all caring for the taboos and decorum of the Headless Monks, they were old clients of his, he was familiar with them and them him, and if they wanted what they had asked for, they wouldn't dare speak a word against his manners...not that they could really speak, they didn't have heads! They could chant though...he wasn't quite sure how. No matter, that was not the point of this meeting, "Good news! My agents have procured the exact security software that you requested. The very _latest_ upgrade. I extracted it from the memory of a Judoon trooper. Well," he laughed, "I _say_ extracted, it was quicker to take the whole brain. And to be honest," he held up a rather small metal box, "I don't think he's going to miss it."

He looked down as a Monk held out his hand, wanting the box.

"Uh, uh, uh," he shook a finger, tsking the Monk, "Small matter of _payment_ , I think," before smiling as the Monk held out a small pouch, "Delightful!" he cheered, taking it as it squirmed in his hold, "Oh! I do enjoy sentient money. The way it wiggles," he cleared his throat and looked at the Monks again, "You'll find it in the frontal lobe," he told them, handing the box over, putting it onto the open palm of the nearest Monk, "Should be quite easy, there's not a lot in there."

The Monks simply turned silently and started to leave.

"But all this in the hopes to imprison ONE child?" he called, shaking his head.

The Monks stiffened, turning to him.

He rolled his eyes, seeing them tensing, clearly they hadn't expected him to know why they wanted the upgrade or what it would be used for, as though he ever gave anyone anything without knowing exactly what it was for. He simply waved them off, "Oh I _know_ what you're up to. I hear _everything_ in this place," he shook his head, eyeing them, "I even hear rumors about whose Mate you've taken, whose child you want to steal," he gaped at them, his expression turning more horrified, his words more scolding, "Are you _mad_?!"

The Monks just turned again to leave.

"You know the stories about the Doctor?" he asked them, getting them to pause once more. He couldn't fathom it, anyone trying to do what they were attempting if they'd even heard a single _whisper_ of the man, no one could be that foolish and no one wanted to die that badly, "The things that man has done? The things he's done for the sake of his _Mate_? Have you not heard the tales of the Wire? The last empress of the Racnoss? The Family of Blood? The parasites of Midnight? The countless others who dared harm the Angel? And now you want his _child_!?" he could only shake his head at them, completely stunned they would attempt such a thing.

Did they know nothing, absolutely _nothing_ , about Time Lords? Their instincts? Their drive to protect their young?! What a Mating even meant?! He knew of only one woman who knew full well what it meant and disregarded it...but that woman, he knew, was certifiably insane to attempt what she was, what she would do.

The Monks simply left, finally.

"God help us now you've made him angry!" he shouted after them in warning, a flash of fear racing through him, a flash he was certain the entire Universe was feeling.

God help them all.

~8~

The Doctor ran around the console, frantic, pulling various levers, pushing buttons, twisting knobs, quickly, sharply...but...there was a weariness in him. He hadn't slept much, if at all, since he'd discovered Angel was a Ganger, his entire focus was on finding her, finding their child, getting them both back, safe and sound. He HAD to get them back, he HAD to. He'd narrowed down where she was, the small rhyme Idris had hinted at, that Angel had recited, what seemed like ages ago about Demons Run, he remembered. That was the name of an asteroid base. But, as an asteroid, it was constantly moving and, as a base, it was difficult to track for it was shielded remarkably well. The TARDIS, if the (angry-sounding) hums that had been echoing throughout the box were anything to go by, was NOT at all pleased with that, with her lack of ability to track Angel down completely.

But he wouldn't let that stop him.

He fiercely pulled a lever on the console, his hand gripping it so tightly his knuckles turned white as he shook, a tension in him that hadn't left since Angel had melted, a vision he saw every time he closed his eyes...and then he noticed…his skin, the skin of his knuckles, was smooth…unharmed, perfect.

He winced, scrunching his eyes shut as his mind raced back to Angel. His Angel. His pregnant Mate. And all the dangers she had faced, the dangers _he'd_ led her into, the harms she'd suffered because of _him_. She'd gone with him to face the Daleks with nothing more than a Jammie Dodger to keep them at bay, she'd been surrounded by Weeping Angels, nearly been bitten by a Sister of the Water, been abducted by Silurians, faced an attacking Krafayis, been _tormented_ by the time loops at Craig's, experienced nearly _six billion_ explosions (and he paled to think their _child_ had as well), been shot by a Dalek, been erased from time, exerted herself with the Vortex to save Sarah Jane and Jo, gotten stuck in the crossfire of the Silence attack, dashed off with him on an unstable TARDIS, nearly been crushed by House, then nearly suffocated by House, nearly been deleted by House…and all that, because of _him_.

And he hadn't even given her a second thought at putting her in such a situation, putting their child in a situation. Now, whenever he looked at her, he knew he'd see the invisible scars she bore due to him. Every single one would be a reminder of how he'd failed to protect her, how he'd failed to care for her, how he'd failed to be the Mate she deserved.

He paused, looking at the back of his right hand, white, pristine, flawless...before he curled his hand into a fist...

And smashed the small mirror on the console.

~8~

Amy and Rory rushed into the console room, having heard glass shatter. Amy was precariously holding a cup of tea she'd made in the hopes the Doctor might finally try to eat or drink something, they'd tried to get him to eat before but hadn't tried very hard...the look on his face when he turned to them, as though to ask why they were bothering to bring up something as stupid as _food_ when Angel was in danger...had made them pause and back away. The man was clearly on a mission.

Rory had been off somewhere in the TARDIS and she truly believed she could leave the Doctor alone for a few minutes to pop the kettle on. She and Rory had taken to switching turns watching the Doctor. Usually one just sat there on the jump seat or rushed to push a button he told them to, just...watching, to make sure he didn't do anything foolish. The lack of sleep was clearly getting to him, the bags under his eyes, the franticness of his thoughts, the jerking of his movements...they were worried. They knew a little about how Time Lords slept, how much they needed, from Angel, but...the Doctor was foregoing that. They'd actually had to knock him out themselves to get him to rest for even an hour or two he refused to do so normally. Rory had come up with a very safe sedative that he'd had to stick the Doctor with, she preferred her method of using her trusty cricket bat...but Rory had argued against it after he'd found her dragging the Doctor through the halls to his room to sleep. She'd winced, recalling they didn't know what had caused the Doctor's amnesia and she'd had a small panic attack thinking that her own crack across the head when she'd first met him as an adult had done it. But Rory had calmed her down, reminding her of the stories her younger self had told him, about the Doctor and Angel and how he'd acted then. She'd remembered that the Doctor she'd met as a child seemed just as distant from Angel even then. So it hadn't been her, but they'd both agreed no cricket bat.

That...and the Doctor promptly threw it in a black hole when he woke up.

She really had thought she could leave him alone just long enough to get him a bit of tea. She was wrong it seemed. She bumped into Rory in the hallway, the two of them dashing off down the hall.

They stopped short, seeing the Doctor nowhere to be seen in the control room. They walked in cautiously, pausing when Rory spotted the broken mirror, blood on it with shards of glass scattered on the console and the floor. He looked down, the two of them exchanging concerned looks when they spotted a figure hunched over through the glass floor. They headed down the stairs to the underside of the console to see the Doctor sitting against the main pole, his knees up, staring at his hands in his lap, a broken expression on his face.

"Doctor?" Amy called hesitantly, not sure what mood he was in. If she thought his mood swings were bad normally...when he was truly worried for someone...they were so much worse. He went from excited that he'd worked out a plan to furious when he saw even a single flaw in it to annoyed that they weren't more help to quiet as he focused to smacking himself to...well, all manner of reactions, they never knew when he was about to explode or fall quiet any longer, "What happened?"

He was silent.

They stepped closer a bit to see the knuckles on his right hand were bleeding.

"Doctor you're bleeding!" Rory shouted, "Hold on," he ran back up the stairs to a small chest where he'd spotted a first aid kit earlier. He came back down to see Amy kneeling beside the Doctor who seemed as unresponsive as before, "Here," he reached for the Doctor's hand, "Let me see."

The Doctor just pulled away, "Leave it."

"I'm a nurse, I can handle it."

"Just _leave_ it!" he snapped, pulling his hand away again, clearly NOT wanting them to even attempt to clean it out.

Amy and Rory exchanged a glance, "Doctor…" Amy began gently, "Did you smash the mirror up there?"

"Of course I did," he nearly spat, "I'd have _thought_ that was obvious. Bloody mirror, bloody hand, no?"

Amy would have been hurt at his tone and his words but she was far too concerned about _him_ to care about it, she had once thought him a wreck when Angel was gone for only a day or two, but this...this was beyond anything she'd ever seen of him. Granted it had been longer than two days, but with his memories restored, everything he'd ever felt for Angel in wanting her there or protecting her or feeling angry towards those who harmed her had been multiplied, he was nothing near a wreck, he was much closer to a complete breakdown, "Why?"

The Doctor rubbed his head with his other hand and sighed, "There were no scars."

Rory looked at Amy, confused, "And…that's a _bad_ thing?"

The Doctor was silent for a long time, just looking at his hand, staring at the red staining it, drying around the deep scratches that really would scar if not treated, "I had scars on my knuckles," he said, so quietly Amy and Rory nearly missed that he was talking, "And when I regenerated…they were _gone_."

"…so?" Amy eyed him oddly, not seeing what was so bad about the scars healing.

"So, they were gone and I didn't even notice!"

Rory's eyes widened and he nodded to himself, _now_ seeing why he was so upset, "This is about Angel, isn't it?" the scars were a metaphor for her too.

The Doctor flinched at her name, his hearts breaking all over again, as they always did when she was mentioned, when he thought about her, when he saw something that reminded him of her…which was every waking (and sleeping) second, "This isn't the first time Angel was taken from me," he admitted softly, "But this was the first time I didn't notice and go after her."

"What happened?" Amy put a hand on his shoulder, only to pull it away when he flinched.

He let his head fall back against the main pole, sighing, staring out into the distance, in thought, "We were separated on a game station, I was trapped in a show for 'Big Brother' and I...I had to get out of there, to find her, and my companions but mostly her. Broke a camera, risked incineration, just to get out," he smiled softly, "Only to find out she'd been doing the same, trying to find me," he blinked and his smile fell, "She was kidnapped by these two people trying to get into a carpool lane, took her and one of my companions, Martha Jones, with them. They got trapped, attacked by Macra, these giant crabs, and I went after her. Through smog and exhaust and gas, dropping down through cars just to find her…" he blinked, "She was taken by Daleks into the sewers of New York, went after her then too. Kidnapped by soothsayers in Pompeii, tracked her down. Separated by a blown in wall and Hath, made our ways to each other. Possessed by a parasitic alien, roasted it with Xtonic sunlight. And then what happens?" his tone turned bitter, "I regenerate and suddenly...she's facing angels alone in a forest and I walk off, she's sneaking into an alien fish school and I _let_ her, she gets eaten by the _earth_ and I worry more about fortifying a _decrepit church_ than going after her, I let her go into the TARDIS _knowing_ it would explode with her in it!"

Amy hesitated a moment, "When did you hurt your hand?"

He closed his eyes tightly, "There was this…creature, the Wire, stealing faces from people through their televisions. She…she stole Angel's face. Wiped her mind clean," he swallowed hard, "I went after the Wire and her accomplice, smashed in a window of a shop to get to them," he laughed hollowly, "Didn't even realize my knuckles were bleeding till I saw her safe again, they didn't hurt at all...especially not when I saw her, I never hurt when she's around," he breathed, before sniffling, "Only really noticed when she saw it and pointed it out. And do you know what she said to me?" they shook their heads, both watching, concerned, as tears filled his eyes, "'Next time use the sonic. I don't care what's happened to me, I don't want you hurt because of it. Just take the time to think, I know you'll save me. I trust you,'" he let out a sob, bowing his head, now able to recall every word she'd ever spoken to him perfectly, "She _trusted_ me and…I forgot her. I _hurt_ her!" he started to cry, "She trusted me and I _betrayed_ her."

"You didn't betray her," Amy told him.

"Didn't I?" he let out a scoffing laugh, "I always went after her, I always protected her. _Always_. And now?" he shook his head, "The Dream Lord was right, I just keep hurting her."

"So what? You're just going to give up? Let them have her?"

"No!" he snapped, turning to her with a dark look that shouted at how DARE she suggest that!?, "OF course not!"

"Then what?" Amy shook her head, "After we get her back you're just going to leave her somewhere so you can't 'hurt' her anymore?"

He was silent.

And they realized...he was genuinely considering it, whatever it was even if not that, it was something, some way he could keep her safe and out of the danger that was him.

"You may not want to do that," Rory said quietly, knowing he needed to speak. Out of all of them, HE was the one who knew the most about what Angel felt, what she'd suffered, because she talked to him about it. The Doctor might have a direct link to Angel's mind and feelings, but HE _knew_ what had to be said.

Amy and the Doctor looked at him, as though just remembering he was there he'd been so silent, letting the Pilot and Companion have their talk.

"And why's that?" the Doctor asked, sounding so...defeated.

Rory hesitated only a moment, not really wanting to give up what he had, but knowing it needed to be given to the Doctor for the man to see just why he COULDN'T do that to Angel. He swallowed and reached into his pocket, pulling out a small picture and sliding it over to the Time Lord.

The Doctor hesitantly reached out, seeing a black and white image, before taking it. He blinked, new tears falling from his eyes as he stared at the ultrasound photo in his hands, the proof that there was a little life growing inside his Mate, a little life they had created together.

"That's your baby," Rory told him, "Took it right after our honeymoon was over. Too early to find out the sex though, sorry," he couldn't bring himself to say it was a girl, not now, not without bringing up to the Doctor and Amy just HOW he knew, that would mean talking about the lake and Utah, "But that's not the point. The point is, Doctor, that is YOUR baby, _Angel's_ baby. You CAN'T leave her again Doctor because…" he swallowed hard and took a breath, knowing he needed to say it no matter how much it hurt to think it a possibility, "Because I don't think Angel could survive that, survive you _knowingly_ leaving her."

The Doctor reached out a finger and gently ran it down the head on the picture, "My baby…" he sniffled and took a deep breath, looking at Rory, "You knew."

It wasn't angry, but it was a statement.

Rory nodded, shrugging, "I'm a nurse. I'm good with pregnancy."

The Doctor let out the smallest of laughs at that, more like a 'he should have seen that coming' laugh, Rory had said the same to Amy, and now he realized he'd really been talking about Angel as well.

Rory, hoping that meant the Doctor was calm enough and stable enough for the moment, reached out and took the Doctor's hand, getting to work cleaning the cuts, too late to prevent total scarring, which, he had a suspicion, was what the Doctor wanted.

"And you know, Doctor," Amy put her hand on his shoulder, relieved he didn't flinch this time, "You _aren't_ in this alone. We're here, we'll help."

The Doctor nodded a moment, before looking up sharply, stiffening, "Help…" he blinked, "Help?" before beaming, "Help!" and turning to Amy, "Amelia Pond you are _brilliant_!" he leapt up, ignoring Rory's calls that he wasn't finished with his hand yet and raced up the steps, back to the console, Amy and Rory running after him.

"Doctor?"

"Help, exactly!" he punched in a coordinate and pulled a lever and they were off.

~8~

The Doctor ran out of the TARDIS, stopping short when he nearly ran into _Jack_ standing right outside Torchwood where the TARDIS had landed, "Jack!" he gasped, jumping back a bit.

"Doctor?" Jack eyed him a moment, taking in his new appearance, recalling Angel had mentioned a bowtie so he knew it had to be the man, Amy and Rory ran out after the Doctor, looking at him curiously, but he didn't care who they were, companion, guests, didn't matter. He looked at the Doctor, intent, "What's happened?"

"What?" the Doctor blinked.

"Something happened to Angie, didn't it?"

The Doctor eyed him a moment, suspicious and more than a bit alarmed the man knew, "How did you know that?"

Jack sighed, his eyes falling closed as he shook his head at the confirmation that yes, something had happened to Angel. He had SO been hoping he was wrong, that THEY were all wrong, but it seemed...it seemed the Universe's warning was true.

"I think you better come with me," he told the Doctor, "You too Beaky, Red," he pointed at Rory and Amy before he turned and led them off.

The Doctor quickly followed him down the street and around the corner to a large warehouse. Jack paused a moment before opening the door and striding in. The Doctor followed but stopped dead only a foot inside the large room, his eyes wide, his mouth open, as he looked at the room full of people.

"Doctor?" Amy asked him quietly, seeing the man just...standing there, not quite sure what all the people, or his reaction, meant, "What is it?"

Before he could answer...four women walked over to him, "Doctor," the first, a beautiful black woman, smiled at him.

"Spaceman," a ginger smirked.

"Mr. Smith," an older woman with brown hair laughed, as though sharing an inside joke with him.

"Hello dad," a blonde women giggled before launching herself at the Doctor and hugging him tightly.

Amy and Rory exchanged a look, Rory mouthing 'dad' at Amy questioningly, though a bit curious if this was the Jenny woman Angel had mentioned to him once.

"Jenny," the Doctor breathed, confirming Rory's suspicions as he hugged the girl tightly before pulling away and moving to hug each of the other women, "Sarah Jane…Donna…Martha…"

Amy and Rory's eyes widened as the realized exactly who was standing before them, the past companions! Oh dear lord! It was the past companions! They couldn't believe it!

"Hey boss," a young black man walked over, tall, broad, imposing, strong, confident, "Got a question for you…" the man's formerly laid back expression hardened, "What _the hell_ happened to my Pilot?!"

Rory blinked, " _Your_ Pilot?"

The man glanced at him and...grinned, "Oh, the new boy eh?" he reached out and shook Rory's hand, "Good to meet ya, Mickey Smith."

Rory's eyes widened, staring at the man as though he'd just met the most important man in the Universe, "THE Mickey Smith?" he couldn't help but gape and blink and stare open mouthed at the man Angel spoke so fondly of.

THIS was MICKEY SMITH! Angel's first ever companion! The man who saved the world with a yellow truck! Who shot himself across dimensions! Who fought Daleks and Cybermen! Oh...if the situation wasn't so serious...this would be Christmas!

Mickey's grin widened, " _Knew_ she'd tell you about me," his expression turned soft, thinking on that, of course Angel would tell any companions she had about him. She had told HIM all about this man, Rory Williams, when they'd talk on the phone or when she could manage to get the Doctor to let her visit him and Martha. It really meant SO much to him to know he still held a special place in Angel's hearts even when she got a new companion of her own, but that was just Angel, her hearts were the biggest in the Universe, "Not like this one," he jerked at thumb at the Doctor, "Probably didn't even tell Red here she weren't the first."

"Sorry," Rory shook his head, "Rory Williams."

Mickey nodded, "I know," he told the man, "Angel told me all about you."

Rory blinked, touched, "She...she did?"

"Talks about you ALL the time."

Rory smiled, "Talks about you more."

Mickey laughed, before glancing at Rory's hand, "Firm handshake," he remarked, "Bet that didn't happen till _after_ you travelled with her right?" Rory looked shocked that he knew, he'd noticed that himself, "Angel's got a way of making ya feel like you're important, respected, _worth_ something, sort of carries over don't it?"

Amy looked at Rory, just a bit startled by that. She'd had _no idea_ he'd felt and thought so little about himself before he'd started journeying with Angel and her and the Doctor. She knew he was sometimes shy and insecure, but...she hadn't thought it was like that, that he hadn't thought he was worth anything. He was everything to her! And so she made a promise to herself to make sure he knew how much she respected him, how important she thought he was.

"So, _Doctor_ ," Mickey turned back to him, an edge in his voice that spoke of how displeased he was, "Care to answer the question?"

The Doctor looked up to see the people in the warehouse fall silent and turn to pay attention to him. He could see it on his companions faces, they were waiting to hear, they knew something was wrong, they knew something had happened to Angel somehow, and they knew HE had failed to stop it. He was probably more disappointed and disgusted and loathsome of himself than they were.

He sighed, swallowing, knowing he had to say, he needed to tell them, they were her family, "She was taken from me, her and our baby…"

Their eyes widened a bit, though only Sarah Jane seemed unsurprised by the last bit of information, well, her and Tosh and Owen, the latter two had been suspicious about Angel after her last visit to Torchwood.

"And…I need your help getting them back."

"How could she have been taken?" Owen asked, shaking his head. The man they'd seen last time he'd visited had barely let Angel away from his side without practically protective detail.

The Doctor looked down.

"He's got a point," Gwen had to agree.

"Doctor..." Jack began, suspicious, as he looked at the man, "What happened?"

The Doctor closed his eyes, shaking his head, "I..." his jaw clenched as he struggled to say it, "I forgot her," he whispered.

"What?" Ianto blinked, none of them quite sure they'd heard him properly.

The Doctor winced, "I forgot her."

Jack stared at him, blinking as rapidly as Ianto had been, "What do you mean 'you forgot her,' Doctor?" Jack asked, a pause in his words, as though he was struggling to get the words out, which he was, he was starting to shake, his hands clenched in fists as his mind raced to all the terrible things that could mean.

The Doctor looked up at him, tears in his eyes, "I forgot her Jack," he told the man, "I forgot she was my Mate, and let her wander off, and she was taken away."

"You did _what_?!" Jack shouted, lunging for him, only for his team to leap forward to hold him back.

"Jack calm down!" Tosh shouted, trying to pull him back with the others.

"YOU let her get captured!?"

"No," the Doctor began, "I didn't..."

"You let her alone Doctor! She was taken because of _you_!"

"Jack stop!" Gray moved to help push Jack back, understanding his brother's anger at the situation their sister was in, but they needed the Doctor alive to find her.

"Let me go!"

"To do what?" Rory spoke, stepping up, "To hit him?" he asked, shaking his head, "How will _that_ help Angel?"

The Torchwood Team stared at Rory in shock when Jack stilled suddenly, staring at him too.

Rory shifted, his outburst and confidence fading a bit now that every single eye in the room was on him, "I..." he swallowed, "You're Jack, right?" he looked at the man, trying to focus on just him instead of everyone else, "Jack Harkness?"

" _Captain_ Jack Harkness," Jack corrected.

"Rory Williams."

"I know who you are," Jack smiled a bit, he could definitely see the family resemblance now, Rory was JUST as kind as Angel was, just as good, "Seems we're brothers."

Rory smiled at that too, "Yeah, bit weird, having no siblings and then having 6."

"6?" Donna blinked, the only other 'sibling' there besides the Harknesses.

"You," Rory nodded, "Rose, Angel, Jack, Gray, and...well..." he frowned, not quite sure how to bring THAT up, "The TARDIS seems to be Angel's sister now too so..." he shrugged, before shaking his head, "Look, that's not the point, the point is...Angel's in danger, her baby's in danger, whatever the Doctor had to do with it..." he swallowed, he still blamed the Doctor in a way too, but NONE of them had stopped Angel going to the toilet, so he couldn't hold that against him, "Or didn't have to do with it, that doesn't matter right now. You want to hit him, fine, but do it AFTER we get Angel back yeah?"

Jack looked at the Doctor who seemed to be truly broken as he stared at his companions, all of them now aware of how much of a failure he'd been to his Mate, and sighed, closing his eyes and shaking his head, rubbing his face with a hand. He knew what was coming. With the Doctor...there were mood swings. It would start as a moment of broken spirit, of devastation, and then...it would warp to anger, to fury, to destruction and loop. It was like when Rose had been blasted by the Anne Droid, he'd had a moment of despair that the ashes were Rose...but then when Angel had told him the girl was alive...it had morphed into determination to get her back...

And this wasn't Rose.

This wasn't a companion.

This was his _Mate_.

Not even HE (or Gray) would survive the warpath the Doctor would be on when he really went after the ones who took her.

He shook his head once more, glancing at Rory, "You're good."

The companions smiled at that, at those familiar words they had all been called at one point or another, the words they had all needed to hear.

"And you," Jack looked at the Doctor, pointing at him, "You're dead, as soon as we get Angel back," he walked up to the Time Lord, staring him in the eyes, "I warned you Doctor," he spoke quietly, "I _warned_ you, you break her hearts, I break your everything."

"You can't," the Doctor told him, a hint of the fire coming back to his voice, "They already broke everything in taking her away from me," his tone hardened, an edge to his words, "And now...I'm not going to break them too...I'm going to destroy them."

Jack stared at him a moment, seeing the dark promise in his voice, the Oncoming Storm in his eyes, "Good, glad we understand each other," the Doctor nodded in return and Jack spun around, "Right, we need a plan."

The Doctor closed his eyes a moment, taking a deep breath, he could feel it rising in him again, the fury. Seeing his companions, having to admit to them what he had done...had torn him to pieces, to see the disappointment and shock in their eyes. But he also saw...besides Jack...they didn't blame him, not yet at least, they had grown so strong and mature over the years, they didn't leap into things with no warning anymore, not like he did. They gathered information, they wouldn't blame him till they knew if it had been his fault, they'd come up with a plan, even if it killed him to wait for one to come up, and then they'd attack.

He just...he hoped they were quick about it, hoped that brain Angel loved so much would finally start working with more people who wanted what he did as desperately (though he doubted it could ever be on that level) as he did, Angel's safe return, to bounce ideas off of.

He felt rage boiling inside him, the Oncoming Storm rising...and he knew...nothing would stop them getting Angel back.

Nothing and no one.

They were coming.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAHHHHH! The companions are BACK! Boom baby! And next we get Demons Run! And now that all the companions are there and they're ALL gunning to get to Angel, imagine how much more fuel the Oncoming Storm will have ;) Ohhh, I'm really excited for what's coming! ^-^


	23. A Good Man Goes to War: An Army

Angel stood in a stark white room that was so unlike the rest of the dark and old facility, looking out at the base, Demons Run they called it. She closed her eyes, now realizing what Idris had been trying to warn them about, it seemed the old girl had known she was a Ganger as well. She didn't know why Idris hadn't said anything, but who was she to question the box, she knew that the woman had barely been able to focus and concentrate once finding her mind in a small human head. Things got lost in there, buried, were harder to see, she didn't blame the box.

She took a breath, opening her eyes as she felt something. Her hand was gently resting on her swelling stomach, stroking it, which was how she'd felt it, her child, her daughter the medics had informed her, kicking beneath it as though trying to reassure her she was still there, but it was only a matter of time. She knew now, why she had been taken, why they wanted the baby, why they had been so _careful_ in replacing her with such an advanced Ganger...they were hoping to make it to the end, take the baby from her without her noticing. But she was there, she was awake, and she would fight them tooth and nail to keep her daughter with her. She hadn't _ever_ thought she'd make it to this point, where the three years were up and the baby was still alive and well. She'd been awake for a month now which meant that, any day, any minute really, she'd be ready to give birth and she would NOT let them hurt her baby!

They didn't want _her_. They'd wanted _the baby_. She didn't know what for, but she knew that they wanted her for something, something terrible, something that made her hearts twist painfully to think on. She had no idea what they could have done to the baby while she'd been in the harness, she didn't...feel...like anything had happened, but she couldn't trust herself on this.

She had worked it out why she was still alive. This was all about the Doctor, that entire army had been raised against him. The Silence, the ones in charge, they didn't want HER despite her power with the Vortex because they didn't see her as a threat to them or the Universe. The legends of the Universe were quite clear, though warped as she believed them to be, to the Universe...she was a savior, the Doctor a destroyer. And they wanted the Doctor destroyed, but worse...they wanted him to _suffer_ first, as they believed he'd made so many other suffer.

She got the strange feeling that they weren't the only ones out there who believed 'criminals' should be given hell, but she didn't think much on it. No...she was too focused on the baby, her daughter, and trying to protect her as best she could until she couldn't any longer. It was a...delicate...situation her captors had put themselves in, the Mating, her pregnancy, it made it all the more complicated. They wanted the Doctor dead, but there was _one thing_ that still existed that could save him, something he _had_ in the TARDIS though he didn't know about it, but they didn't know that. But the Silence, they knew it existed apparently. So they couldn't kill her just to get to him, not now, not when they knew there was a chance he could survive and then their next best option, their plan B would be gone as well.

She swallowed hard, stopping her ministrations to just lay her hand on her stomach, "I wish so badly that I could say everything'll be ok," she said gently to her baby, "That nothing will happen and that you'll be safe and loved, SO loved by your family, like you deserve. All your Aunts and Uncles spoiling you, your grandparents, your godmother and godfather, me and your father, your cousins, all of us together. You deserve that, and so much more," she let out a breath, a tear falling from her eye, "But I've never been very good at lying and I will never _ever_ lie to you," she looked down at her stomach, smiling just a bit as she sniffled, "But I know, I can tell, no matter what happens...you'll be brave, very, VERY brave, and strong, just like your father."

She closed her eyes, feeling the gentle hum in her hearts now that the Doctor's side of the Mating was unblocked. The Doctor was alive, he was out there, he was coming for them, he _promised_ , he remembered, and even if he hadn't he wouldn't leave her to this alone.

She opened her eyes, taking a breath as she stroked her stomach more, thoughtfully, "But they'll have to be braver," she looked at the window, seeing the reflection of the woman with the eye patch, Madam Kovarian she'd been told, standing behind her, on top of the stairs that led into the room, two soldiers on either side of her, two Headless Monks at the door, and two young soldiers at the bottom of the stairs, one a young girl. There _should_ have been more soldiers, given her abilities with the Vortex, but they'd run tests when she had been sleeping apparently, they studied its power, they knew that, for her to use it _now_...could end the baby's life despite it being the end of the pregnancy. The Vortex was too volatile in her pregnant state, even more so so near the end, and they knew she wouldn't risk using it.

"Because I _know_...people will be coming for us both," she continued, focusing on the army outside her window, "I'm not sure where they are, what they're up to, but believe me...they're coming."

~8~

_20,000 light years away…_

A Cyberman marched along the corridors of the Cyber-Ship, a figure walking past it in the shadows, cloak billowing behind it. Another figure appeared beside it, holding a sonic in a feminine hand with red nails against the door lock, sliding it shut, locking out the other Cybers.

~8~

The Cyber-Leader and two other Cybermen monitoring the ship looked up, "Intruder," one reported, "Level Nine. Seal Level Nine!"

The ship rocked as a small explosion went off.

~8~

"There's a man and a woman, my companion and his wife," she laughed a bit, she didn't know if the Doctor had gone to anyone else, but she knew Rory and Amy wouldn't leave him alone in this, they'd help him, no matter what, "The Nose and the Legs your father would say. And they've taken care of us during some very hard times, watched out for us, protected us…and they will now too," she nodded, "Nothing is stronger than family. And, speaking of, there's a man too, one who will never ever let us down, though he came _very_ close once," she swallowed hard, looking at the large army gathering through the window once more, "And not even an army will stop him."

~8~

The Cyber-Ship rocked again, another explosion going off, "Intruder, Level 11," a Cyberman reported.

"Seal Levels 12, 13, and 14," the Cyber-Leader ordered.

"Intruder, Level 15," the second Cyber added.

~8~

"We are the last of our kind," she soothed the baby as it kicked, smiling, the baby loved, absolutely LOVED, to hear her talk about him, "And this man, this mad, ridiculous, wonderful man…" she shook her head in thought, "He looks young, but he's been alive for _centuries_ ," she blinked quickly, tears in her eyes once more, "And whatever they try to do to you...I want you to remember..." she whispered, "No matter how scared you are, I swear you will never ever be alone. Because this man is your father…"

~8~

The Cyber-Leader turned to the door of the control room, other Cybermen flanking him, "Prepare to engage."

~8~

"His name is hidden to all but one," her smile faltered, thinking how she SHOULD be that one, how she WAS that one, but...River Song had known his name too, she shook her head, now was _not_ the time, right now she had to be strong and focused, "But he has a title, one that the people of the Universe know him by...the Oncoming Storm…" she glanced back at the soldiers and Kovarian, "And if they are smart, if they are wise, and if they value their lives...they'll seek shelter before it hits."

Kovarian just smirked and turned, confidence exuding from her as Angel watched her go, shaking her head at her.

~8~

The doors to the control room slid open and none other than Rory and Amy stepped through, Rory dressed in his Centurion garb, Amy in a slightly more advanced Policewoman's uniform. The Cybermen aimed their weapons at them, "We have a message and a question," Rory eyed the metal men with a hard look in his eyes, mirrored by Amy's, he was not _at all_ pleased that his Pilot had been abducted, that his sister had been taken, that his niece was in danger, "A message and a question from the Doctor."

"Where is the Angel?" Amy glared at them.

But they didn't answer.

"Oh, _don't_ give us those blank looks," Rory sneered at them, "The 12th Cyber-Legion monitors this entire quadrant," they walked into the room, over to a large window through which the rest of the fleet could be seen, "You hear everything."

Jack had told them about it, everyone had pooled their resources, UNIT, Torchwood, Mr. Smith, the TARDIS, all of them working together to help find Angel, find Demons Run. And they'd been able to narrow it down to that sector. It had taken them a while, Martha and Mickey had hunted down some contacts, Jack and Torchwood provided as much alien tech and weapons as they could, Mr. Smith connecting to the Judoon and Sontarans, and the TARDIS, the old box had scanned brilliantly, narrowing down the field with input from everyone. And now...they were close, SO close, they just needed a location, a trace that the Cybers _had_ to have.

Amy nodded, "So you answer us. You tell us what we need to know, right _now_ , and we'll be off."

"What is the Doctor's message?" the Cyber-Leader asked.

The response was simple.

The ships outside the window exploded in a fiery mass, Rory and Amy remaining impassive, Jack was _very_ good at explosions.

"Would you like me to repeat the question?" Rory asked them.

~8~

A ship had just come in for a landing as all the mechanics and engineers worked around the base, preparing it. A tall, thin man and a short, fat man in army garb walked towards the lift together, just talking about the whole situation, "A whole Cyber-Legion though!" the fat man remarked, "He just blew them all up. To make a point!"

"We're being paid to _fight_ him, not praise him," the thin man countered, "Praising costs _way_ more!"

"But think about it though! If he did that to a _Cyber-Legion_...come on, do we really stand a chance?!"

"I'm trying NOT to think about it. And we're being PAID, does it really matter? He won't go after us, we're just doing our jobs."

"Level Minus 23," the fat man called out to the lift as they stepped in, allowing the two Headless Monks to step out before them, "Transept," the door slid shut.

~8~

"Digger says he once chased the Atraxi off a planet, then called them back for a _scolding_ ," the fat man laughed as they stepped off the lift.

" _Fight_ him," the thin man reminded him, " _Not_ praise him."

They passed by a young woman, the same one who had been in Angel's cell earlier, as she sat on a crate, sewing the edges of an olive-green piece of cloth, a smile on her face, "Reminder," the speakers called, "This base is on Yellow Alert. This base is on Yellow Alert."

~8~

"Is she _sewing_?" a soldier asked, watching the young woman on a monitor in a security booth.

"She's on a break she can do what she likes," his partner shrugged before turning to face him, holding up two pieces of paper in his hands, one blank, "Now try again."

"That one," he pointed at the blank one.

"No, that's the psychic. You've got to look for the fractals," the first soldier just rolled his eyes, "Don't look bored, we're on Yellow Alert."

"We've been on Yellow Alert for three weeks!"

~8~

A short while later two Headless Monks walked past a few soldiers on Level 23, their hands clasped before them, "Reminder," the speakers called, "Do not interact with Headless Monks without designed permission. Do not interact with Headless Monks without designed permission."

The thin and fat man watched as the Monks passed. The fat man returned to getting the readings off the machine before them while the thin man watched them go, "You're not supposed to stare at them," the fat man warned, "And if they think you're trying to see under their hoods, they'll kill you on the spot."

"But why are they called the Headless Monks?" the thin man wondered, "They can't really be headless..."

"They believe the domain of faith is the heart, and the domain of doubt is the head," the young female soldier called, having heard the question, now off her break, "They follow their hearts...that's all."

"You're Lorna Bucket, aren't you?"

"Yeah. Hello!"

"I'm the Thin One, this is my husband, he's the Fat One."

"Don't you have names?"

"We're the thin, fat, gay, married, Anglican marines," the Fat One stood up, "Why would we need names as well?" he glanced over to see two more Monks standing behind Lorna, "Oh! Looks like I'm off! Time for my 'conversion tutorial.' See you in a bit," he turned and left with them, "Do you lot have Lent?! 'Cos I'm not good at giving things up..."

Lorna shook her head at him as the Thin One looked at her, thoughtful, "Lorna Bucket. You've had an Encounter, haven't you? You've met him."

She nodded, "And the Angel. But I was just a kid," she shook her head and went back to work.

"But what're they like?" he asked, it was a hot topic among the soldiers. The Angel was held under heavy security, only the guards outside her room were changed, few being allowed into the room when Madame Kovarian decided to visit her. But they never really knew what she or the Doctor were truly like, they had to be something it they were dangerous enough to amass an army against them, especially the Doctor, "The Doctor and her?"

"He said 'run.'"

"Just 'run?'"

"He said it a lot. And the Angel just told us it would all be alright."

"And this was in the Gamma Forests, yeah? Because you're a Gamma girl, aren't you? What are you doing here? The Forests are heaven-neutral."

"Yeah, and 30 seconds of the Doctor and the Angel is the _only_ thing that ever happened there."

Really though...she just wanted the chance to meet them again, to...to thank them. They had saved SO many lives doing what they did. And none of her people had gotten the chance to do it.

~8~

The Fat One preceded the Monks into a chapel-like room cast in an eerie red glow, only to see a few more Monks standing there as well, "Oh, this is nice, I like this. I mean, quite a lot of red. I hope it's not to hide the stains!" one of the Monks walked over to a shelf and pulled off a medium sized box, "What's in the little boxes?"

As the Monk walked towards him with the box, a recording began to play, "Welcome, applicant to the Order of the Headless. It is traditional for visiting armies of other Faiths to offer individuals for conversion to our order. You have been selected," the Monk passed the box to another who opened it and held the empty box in front of the man, "Are you ready to make a donation?"

The Monk approached him, lifting the box towards his head, his eyes widening as he realized exactly what donation they wanted...

~8~

The Thin One slid a panel closed, wincing at the noise which reminded him too much of a guillotine, "So, what do you think?" he turned to Lorna, "If the Doctor's really coming here, where is he? I mean, that Angel girl, rumor has it she's like his wife or something."

"He's the Doctor," she shrugged, "He could be anywhere in time and space," she loosened a hose and steam escaped, "But I don't doubt for a _minute_ that he's coming for her…you should have _seen_ him in the forest," she shook her head, "They got separated, only for a while, but he..." she shivered, "He lost it. He nearly tore the forest apart looking for her. I'm almost afraid to think of what the Universe must look like now."

~8~

A hansom pulled up to the door of a quaint London home one night in 1888. His passenger stepping out, "Thank you, Parker," the woman, dressed all in black, called, her hood pulled up over her head, "I won't be needing you again tonight."

"Yes, my lady," Parker nodded and continued on as the woman entered her home.

"You're back early, ma'am!" a young, dark-haired woman in a maid's uniform greeted her, "Another case cracked, I assume?"

The woman placed a sword reverently on a rack before the doors with a few others, "Send a telegram to Inspector Abberline of the Yard. Jack the Ripper has claimed his _last_ victim."

The maid gasped, "How did you find him?!"

The woman lowered her hood, revealing a beautiful, Silurian face, "Stringy, but tasty all the same. I shan't be needing dinner."

"Congratulations, ma'am," the maid smiled before growing hesitant, "However…a matter has arisen, you have a visitor in the drawing room."

The Silurian eyed her a moment before walking towards the room, smiling when she saw the ginger woman sitting within, "Miss Noble!" she cheered brightly, moving quickly to the woman, hugging her as she stood.

"That's _Mrs. Temple_ -Noble," Donna laughed, "How are you Vastra?"

"I am well," Vastra nodded, "Jenny and I," she nodded back to the young maid who joined them, "Have been busy," she glanced over Donna's shoulder, at the TARDIS, "What is wrong?"

"You remember Angel yes?" Donna asked, thinking back to the adventure that she'd met Vastra during, the Doctor had been SO shocked that a Silurian still existed, had thought Vastra to be a single survivor of the species, like him and Angel, the woman taking vengeance on humans who were digging a tunnel, humans who had, without knowing, caved in the space that her and her people had been hiding in, leaving only Vastra alive.

"But of course," she nodded, before working it out, "What has happened?"

"We need your help," Donna took her hands, "Someone's taken her, and...and her baby."

Vastra gasped and turned to Jenny, "Pack the cases, Jenny. And we're going to need the swords!"

Jenny grinned and ran off to prepare.

~8~

The Shadow Architect sat at her desk, sorting papers, when a Judoon entered, "No bo sko toe row no so foe mo," he stated.

She stood up, tense, "Send her in."

The Judoon nodded and turned, opening the doors as Sarah Jane Smith entered, "My Lady," Sarah Jane greeted cordially.

"Miss Smith," the Architect stated, more curtly, "To what do I owe this...pleasure?"

Sarah Jane sighed, "I need to have a word with some of your Judoon, and perhaps borrow some of them."

"And what, might I ask, would be so pressing a danger that you require that?" she demanded, "My troops are _not_ to be used for your human bickerings and..."

"A Time Lord has been kidnapped," Sarah Jane cut in, "And unless you want her captors to learn things they must not, to advance technologies and forge developments they shouldn't...you'll help."

The Architect was silent, stunned, "...HER captors?"

Sarah Jane nodded, "They've taken the Angel."

The Architect sat down heavily, knowing full well, her Judoon had reported, that the woman had saved the Universe from the Daleks and their Reality Bomb, something she and her troops had failed to do, "Take as many as you need."

Sarah Jane nodded in thanks and turned to go.

~8~

An officer dodged past laser fire on the field of the Battle of Zaruthstra in 4037, running towards a small field hospital, "Nurse? Nurse!" he ran inside, "Damn it! Where's the nurse?!"

"He needs help!" a woman shrieked as she knelt beside a young boy on a stretcher.

"Madame President, I'm sorry, but we have to go, _now_! Those things could be here any second!"

Just then a Sontaran entered the hospital and removed his helmet, "Did somebody call for a nurse?" he walked over to the young boy and scanned him with a high-tech scanner.

"Will I be ok?" the young boy rasped out.

"Of course you will, my boy. You'll be up and around in no time! And perhaps one day you and I shall meet on the field of battle, and I will destroy you for the glory of the Sontaran Empire."

"Thanks, nurse."

The Sontaran nodded with his whole body and turned, leaving the hospital with the officer, "Commander Strax. I just have to ask. A Sontaran nurse?"

"I serve a penance to restore the honor of my clone batch," Strax sighed, "It is the greatest punishment a Sontaran can endure, to help the weak and sick."

"Who came up with that one?"

Strax froze, spotting two very familiar people across the field, standing before a bright blue phone box, and grinned, "Tonight, though, perhaps my penance is over," he turned to the officer, "Captain Harcourt, I hope someday to meet you in the glory of battle, when I shall crush the life from your worthless human form."

And with that he turned and headed across the battlefield towards the duo, "Ma'am!" he saluted, "Sir!" and again.

"Oh don't salute Strax," Martha sighed, finally understanding the Doctor's feelings on it.

"I don't know," Mickey grinned, "Could do with more of that, show proper respect to a superior officer," he looked at Martha as she shot him a look, "Like I do you," he winked at her, making her smile.

"How may I be of service?" Strax cut in, not sure if the humans were about to start fighting or flirting, half the time he couldn't tell the difference.

"Strax," Martha turned to him, "You owe Angel for the chance the Doctor gave you to restore your honor yeah?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Well buck up soldier," Jenny popped her head out of the TARDIS to grin at him, "We're going to war."

Strax grinned widely, "Excellent."

~8~

River Song swayed back and forth as she walked up the halls of Stormcage Facility, humming to herself, a dreamy smile on her face even as the alarms blared around her, the phone ringing. She hiked up the edge of her late-Victorian gown and grabbed the phone, sighing, "Oh, turn it _off_. I'm breaking _in_ , not out. This is River Song, back in her cell...oh, and I'll take breakfast at the usual time. Thank you!" she hung up and the alarms faded. She laughed to herself before gliding across the floor...only to stop short when she saw a silhouette before her dressed as a Roman, "Oh, are you boys dressing up as Romans now? I thought nobody read my memos."

Rory stepped forward, out of the shadows, "Dr. Song?" he began cautiously, "It's Rory. Sorry, have we met yet? Time streams, I'm not quite sure where we are..." it wasn't even that, he was trying to gauge her reaction, was this a River who hated Angel as well and wouldn't help? When did her dislike of the Time Lady actually start? How could she possibly NOT like his Pilot?

"Yes, yes, we've met," she walked forwards, somewhat sadly, her voice thick with emotion as she looked upon him, "Hello, Rory."

He frowned, "What's wrong?" even though she wasn't the kindest to Angel, he could still tell something was bothering her, upsetting her, and he never liked seeing people like that. It was something he and Angel had in common, they hated tears.

River laughed nervously, "It's my birthday. The Doctor took me ice skating on the River Thames in 1814," she gushed, "The last of the great frost fairs. He got Stevie Wonder to sing for me under London Bridge," she sighed happily, recalling that fond memory...

"Stevie Wonder sang in 1814?"

"Yes, he did," she put a finger to her lips, "But you must never tell him."

He hesitated a moment, almost terrified of the answer, "And Angel…was _she_ there?"

River tensed a bit at that, the illusion she had created in her mind, that it had all been _the Doctor's_ doing was shattered, "She was the one who convinced him to do it."

Not Stevie Wonder...the Doctor.

And how she _hated_ it.

Angel always tried to be _nice_ to her, trying to make up for something it seemed. But it only served to make the Doctor love her all the more for it, for all her attempts whether they worked or not. Angel was the _only one_ who could convince him to let her out of Stormcage, to take her on adventures with them, and often did. And she _knew_ the Doctor hated to do it, to take HER along with them on adventures.

He resented her and she knew why, he _knew exactly_ what she had tried to do.

Rory nodded a moment before taking a breath, "I've come from the Doctor…"

"Yes, but at a different point in time."

"Unless there's two of them."

She smirked, "Now, that's a whole different birthday," and headed for her cell, pulling out her diary from her muff and began to skim the pages.

"He needs you…"

"Demons Run," River gasped, looking up, her eyes wide though Rory couldn't see.

"How...how did you know?" Rory hesitated to ask.

"I'm from his future. I _always_ know," she turned to grin at him, eyeing his outfit, "Why on Earth are you wearing that?"

"Amy's idea," he shrugged. According to her it made him seem 'macho' and anything he could use to make himself appear more intimidating to the enemies they would face in order to get Angel back he was going to take. That and Amy was very fond, very, _very_ fond of him as a Roman.

"Ah yes, where _is_ she?" she looked past Rory as though expecting Amy to step out of the shadows too.

"With the Doctor, keeping an eye on him. We've sort of taken shifts watching him," he trailed off.

"And the Doctor couldn't come say hello why?"

"He's um...tied up at the moment," Rory supplied.

Literally.

They'd had to tie the Doctor up when Amy had suggested asking River for help.

The Doctor hadn't seemed to consider River for a moment, not at all really. The woman hadn't even crossed his mind till Amy brought it up...and when she had...it was like a switch had flipped. He'd been running around the console, the plan in motion, one step closer to getting Angel and the baby back safely...he'd been... _happy_. And then River was mentioned...and he'd just...stopped. The same aura they'd felt rising off him when Angel had first melted appearing again.

And he knew what was wrong, Donna seemed to know as well.

The Doctor was thinking, remembering, _exactly_ how River had treated Angel, how he'd LET River treat her.

Before they could even blink, he'd spun around, snapping and shouting about how they were NEVER going near that woman again and if _ever_ saw her again...well...that was why HE had come to ask River for help. The Doctor had ranted and raved until he'd had to push him back as he'd started to gang up on Amy. Amy had just shouted right back that she didn't like River either. The Doctor hadn't believed her, reminding her of just how friendly they'd been at first, and Amy, losing her temper entirely, had reminded him he'd been MORE than friendly with River.

Which had stunned him quiet and left the companions who had gathered gaping in shock...till Jack had asked just how much more than 'friendly' he'd been! The Doctor, trying to keep Jack from assuming the absolute _worst_ , had been forced to admit that he'd kissed River, that _River_ had kissed _him_ was the better way to describe it. They had prepared to hold Jack back again...knowing he wouldn't just hit the Doctor this time but murder him...when it had been DONNA that went after him.

Which made sense, the ginger woman was the only one of the old companions who had actually encountered River. And, surprisingly, none of them had dared stop Donna, she was mad scary when she wanted to be! That also made sense, Donna had been the only companion, the only 'sibling' there when Angel had been dying. She had taken care of Angel, watched over her, grown so close to her and seen how much the Doctor loved the girl, she was that much more protective of her for it. And she had been...well...the Doctor had gotten slapped, _a lot_. And they were all pretty sure the TARDIS was either laughing at him or cheering Donna on or both given how much the old ship was humming and how bright the rotor had gotten during that moment.

Eventually only Jack and Gray were brave enough to pull the irate ginger away from the Doctor, who hadn't even fought back, not because she was a woman, but because he knew he deserved it. Whether or not it was his fault he forgot Angel, he HAD hurt her, in his mind, he deserved far _worse_ than a slap. He almost wanted Jack to punch him like the man desperately desired.

But he'd _refused_ to ask River for help, wanting to keep the woman as FAR away from Angel as possible, and when they'd mutinied, claiming that her future knowledge (once Amy and him and Donna had explained who River was to the others), they'd been forced to tie him to the jump seat. Luckily, with Jack and Donna there (and, they suspected, the TARDIS herself helping), they were able to smoothly pilot the box to Stormcage where it had been voted that HE should go speak to River. Not only because all the other companions were furious to find out how River had treated Angel from him (and Donna and Amy) and all of them had a few choice words they wanted to share with her...none of which would make her any more inclined to help them. But also because apparently Jack knew of the woman too, but because she'd stolen a Vortex Manipulator off a dead friend of his, well, really she'd bought it, but...the man had been killed and his entire hand taken just because River Song wanted a Vortex Manipulator. And Jack hadn't been happy to learn about that, had been even less fond when he'd gone to confront River in Stormcage to get it back from her and had to deal with the smug, flirty, just...irrirating woman himself. So Jack and Donna had been ordered to Angel's garden to cool down while Amy and Jenny guarded the Doctor as the others watched from the monitor.

Rory shook his head, his thoughts were getting away from him, and he looked at her seriously, "They've taken Angel. And their baby."

River nodded sadly, almost on the verge of tears as she whispered, "Their baby."

He stepped forward, "The Doctor's getting some people together, we're going after her, but he..." he winced, "WE need you too."

River flinched at that, knowing Rory was correcting that not because they all needed her, but because the Doctor did NOT, "I can't," she shook her head, turning to him.

He blinked, stunned, and more than a bit angry she was refusing to help, "I'm sorry?"

She swallowed hard, "I _love_ the Doctor, Rory," she told him quietly, "But now…now he _knows_ who Angel is, he remembers that she's his Mate and..."

Rory's eyes widened, "You _knew_?! You knew, all this time, who she was to him and you never _said_?! River it nearly _destroyed_ her that the Doctor forget her!"

He didn't understand it! It was obvious to anyone who looked at her how miserable Angel had been, how devastated, how hurt, how unhappy. It was clear in how her smiles never reached her eyes, in how quiet her laughs were, how quiet _she_ was, how dull her eyes were. Angel wasn't _happy_ , and any decent person would want another to be happy again. How could River keep something like _that_ from the Doctor?! The man she claimed to love had a huge gaping hole in his memories and she didn't bother to tell him what was missing to fix it?! And she couldn't say it was timelines or anything, he wouldn't hear of it, this went _beyond_ timelines, timelines be damned! He knew, he could just _feel_ it, it had NOTHING to do with timelines.

There was something else going on.

"And it kills _me_ that he remembers," River cut into his thoughts.

Rory just shook his head at her, disgusted, "And you're still not going to help him?" he asked, "You _really_ hate Angel that much that you're not going to _try_ to help? Help her baby? The _Doctor's_ baby?"

"If Amy was having another man's child would _you_ want to be there?" she countered desperately.

He swallowed hard, his mouth forming a firm line, "That doesn't matter at all. Because the _baby_ is _innocent_ ," he eyed her, "So are you going to help or not?"

"No."

"Great," he scoffed and turned to go, this had been a waste of time, they should have listened to the Doctor, but no...HE had to believe River actually had a scrap of human decency in her.

"Rory," she called, making him stop, though he didn't turn around, "This is the Battle of Demons Run. The Doctor's darkest hour. He'll rise higher than ever before and then fall _so much further_. Be careful."

Rory just walked on.

~8~

Dorium hurried through the Maldovarium one night in 5145, looking around, anxious to get out, desperate to get out really. He'd heard the whispers, the Doctor had tracked down the Cyber-Legion, it would only be a matter of time before he found the base. One single scan of the upgraded security measures would reveal the Judoon feel of it, one stop to speak with the Judoon would lead him right to HIM, HE had taken a Judoon and stolen the upgrade. It would all come back to him and he knew the Doctor would be after him, wanting to see exactly what upgrades had been made so he could launch his attack, because he always kept a copy of whatever he sold, a failsafe of some sort.

He had to hurry and get _out_ of there.

"Goodbye," he whispered to his establishment, opening the case in his hand, rearranging the contents...when figures appeared behind him.

"You appear to be closing down, Dorium," Madam Kovarian remarked.

He tensed, knowing he was caught and actually quite relieved it was Kovarian and not the Doctor, she was the FAR lesser of two evils.

~8~

"What have you heard?" Kovarian demanded as she sat across from Dorium, her guards around him, aiming their guns, her colonel beside her.

"That you pricked the side of a _mighty_ beast, Madam Kovarian, and entirely failed to _run_ ," he remarked before rolling his eyes at the guns pointed at his head, "I admire your courage. I should like to admire it from afar," he pushed them away.

"We've been waiting a _month_. He's done _nothing_. Clearly the rumors of how important a Mate is to a Time Lord were false," she honestly wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or depressed by that. Relieved as, if the rumors were true, they were likely all dead if they weren't careful, and depressed as she had a rather fine trap set up for if he came in guns blazing.

That was one thing about a Mating, the desperation to see the Mate returned was said to be blinding.

Dorium simply continued to count his money, "Do you _really_ think so?" he laughed at how little she knew, "Time Lords are _possessive_ and _selfish_ creatures, _especially_ the males, and especially in regards to their _Mates_. You _really_ think he would just _leave_ his Mate there?" he shook his head, "She is _far_ too important to him for him to risk losing her now, Madam Kovarian, and the Doctor is _smart_. There are people all over this galaxy that owe that man a debt. By now, a few of them will have found a blue box waiting for them on their doorstep. Poor devils."

"You think he's raising an army?" the Colonel asked, tensing, not liking that, one Time Lord they could handle, an army...well, their own army had been raised to counter just HIM.

"You think he isn't?" he snorted in amusement, "If that man is _finally_ collecting on his debts, which I don't doubt he will given the nature of the treasures you've taken," he gave them a meaningful look, "Then God help you, and God help his debtors."

"Why?"

"Colonel Manton," he sighed, growing bored now, "All those stories you've heard about him? They're not _stories_ , they're _true_. You've taken quite possibly the _only_ thing in the entire Universe that could _control_ the Doctor and keep him at bay right out from under him. Really, you're not telling me you _don't_ know what's coming?"

"We're wasting our time here!"

Kovarian stood, "Agreed."

"The asteroid, where you've made your base," Dorium glanced up at her, pleased to see she looked startled, maybe she'd realize how deadly the situation was that if HE knew of the base then the Doctor might as well. And it wasn't just deadly for her, but for the entire Universe. If anything, anything at all, happened to that woman or her baby...there would be _nothing_ that could save them from the hell the Doctor would unleash, and the man was more than capable of it, the devastation he left when he wasn't even _trying_ was evidence enough of that, "Do you know why they call it Demons Run?"

"How do you know the location of our base?" Manton glared.

He sighed, "You're with the Headless Monks...they're old customers of mine."

"It's just some old saying," Kovarian waved him off.

"A _very_ old saying. The oldest. And don't you wonder where it came from? 'Demons run, when a good man goes to war.'"

Kovarian and Manton simply turned and left, leaving him to his musings.

Dorium waited a moment, watching them go, before laughing and taking his money, walking to a back storage room on his way out. He paused just as he entered the room when he caught sight of the two men standing in front of him.

"Well hello Blue," Captain Jack smirked.

"Going somewhere?" Gray asked, crossing his arms.

Dorium's eyes widened as he turned to flee back the way he came, only for Ianto and Owen to appear, closing the door and blocking it. He turned around, seeing Gwen and Tosh moving to either side of him.

"Someone wants a word with you," Jack told him, his expression hardening as a wheezing noise filled the room.

"No," Dorium gasped, backing up but Tosh and Gwen grabbed him, "No, no, please!" he struggled in their hold, "Not me! You don't need _me_!" he stared in horror as the TARDIS appeared before him, "Why would you need me?! I'm old! I'm fat! I'm blue! You can't need me!"

And the doors opened, revealing none other than the Doctor, and he did NOT look happy.

~8~

Colonel Manton stood before his army on a small platform in the middle of the base, three Headless Monks behind him. The soldiers stood at ease, ready to listen to their leader, as Kovarian stood to the right of the platform with two soldiers on either side of her, smirking.

"He is not the devil," he called to his troops, "He is not a god. He is not a goblin or a phantom or a trickster. The Doctor is a living, breathing man and, as I look around this room, I know one thing...we're sure as hell going to fix that!"

The soldiers cheered.

~8~

Angel stood in the white room, looking through the window, sadly watching Colonel Manton with the soldiers as they cheered, tensing and wincing a moment, putting a hand to her stomach as she let out a breath...when the doors opened behind her and Lorna Bucket entered. She turned to look at her, Lorna hesitating at the bottom of the stairs with something in her hand.

When Angel said nothing, she continued on, "Sorry," she murmured, a bit of a blush on her face. This was the first time she was able to fully _talk_ to the Angel, "I shouldn't be here, I'm meant to be at the thing. I brought you something…" she held out two olive-green stars sewn to another one, creating a leaf-like pattern, "It's a Prayer Leaf. When your child is born, you sew their name into it in the language of my people and, we believe, if you keep this with you, your child will always come home to you."

Angel reached out and took the blank leaf, looking down at it a moment, "Thank you."

There was silence a few more moments before Lorna spoke again, "I don't know if you remember, but I met you once."

Angel blinked, an image of a forest filling her mind, her and the Doctor running through the trees, a group of people behind them, her hand holding that of a little girl that looked very much like Lorna with a purple flower in her hair…it hadn't happened yet, but it would, "In the Gamma Forests."

Lorna smiled widely, her heart beating rapidly, "I remember I was so scared, those beasts chasing us, the Doctor telling us to run. But… _you_ were there. The Angel. You made us feel safe, protected. You truly were as your name entailed."

"Oh?"

"In the language of the Forest, 'Angel' means 'Great Mother,'" she looked at the woman's stomach with a soft smile, she was so like it. She had taken care of all of them, protected them, tended to them, made them laugh and helped bandage them when they were hurt, exactly like a mother would.

"I picked my name you know. On our planet, we are allowed to pick a name if we like. I picked it because my mother used to call me it, but it didn't mean 'Great Mother' to her."

"What does it mean?"

She smiled, "In the culture she learned it from, it means blessed one, a guardian, protector, guider, light, joy..."

"That's you as well."

She nodded sadly and turned to look out the window once more, "It's strange, isn't it?"

"What is?"

"Them. Talking about the Doctor like he's someone famous when he never does anything for fame..."

"He meets a lot of people. Some of them remember," she smiled a bit, "He's sort of like a...I dunno. A dark legend."

"You have no idea."

"I'm sorry?" Lorna frowned, hearing Angel murmur that.

Angel turned back around to look at her fully, "The Doctor has a darkness in him. He's lost _so much_ and lived through such _horrible_ times…and I've been there for him, through most of it, lighting his way as he used to say. And now..." she glanced at the window, "They've taken me away from him," she blinked, shaking her head as she turned back to Lorna, "How do you _think_ he's going to react?" Lorna looked down a moment, in thought, "He's coming for me, for us," she put a hand on her stomach, "Pick a side Lorna, and not for my sake, but for _yours_ because you won't like what you find when he arrives and sees _you_ with _them_."

With that, she turned to look back out at the army, tensing and putting both hands to her stomach, biting her lip hard so as not to make a sound as Lorna silently left the room.

~8~

"On this day, in this place, the Doctor will _fall_ ," Manton continued to the cheers, "The man who talks, the man who reasons, the man who _lies_ , will meet the perfect answer. Some of you have wondered why have we have allied ourselves with the Headless Monks," Lorna snuck into her position, "Perhaps you should have wondered why we call them 'headless.' It's time you knew what these guys have sacrificed for faith. As you all know, it is a Level One Heresy, punishable by _death_ , to lower the hood of a Headless Monk. But, by the divine grant of the Papal Mainframe herself, on this one and only occasion, I can show you the truth. Because these guys never can be..." he lowered the hood of the first Monk, revealing a knotted stump where the head and neck should have been, "Persuaded! They NEVER can be..." he lowered the second Monk's hood, revealing the same thing, "Afraid," and approached the last one, "And they can never, _ever_ be..."

"Surprised?" the Doctor smiled darkly as he pulled down his own hood, revealing himself as the third Monk, stepping past Colonel Manton to address the army, "Hello everyone! Guess who? Please, point a gun at me if it helps you relax…" he nearly laughed when all did so, "You're only human," he shook his head, closing his eyes as he took a deep breath.

He could feel her, Angel, he could feel her and their baby. They were THERE, they were in the base right at that moment, he could FEEL it. And it was wonderful. He'd been...on edge, his entire body feeling like it was on fire, like it was being torn apart, but now...he felt calm, he felt reassured, he felt...whole. Angel was there, and now so was he, and he would get her back no matter what.

"Doctor you will come with me right now," Manton threatened, holding a gun right at the Doctor from behind, not that the Doctor noticed.

The Time Lord just stood there a moment longer, his eyes closed, unperturbed, a soft smile growing on his face as his hearts swelled, feeling both his Mate and child were really there. Now he just had to get them back.

His eyes snapped open as he looked over his shoulder at Manton, a dangerous smirk on his face, "Really? You _think_ so?"

Suddenly the sound of teleports echoed throughout the encampment. The soldiers looked around, moving their guns away from the Doctor to the Silurian army that had surrounded them, some focusing on the three Judoon that had joined them, while others looked at a lone Sontaran standing off the side of the platform, but those in the front turned their weapons on the humans that had appeared before the platform, forming a line between them and the Doctor, the two ginger women, a team of 6 dressed in black with rather large guns, an older woman with a blonde beside her, a man in Centurian garb, and a black couple.

"This base is now under our command," Strax stated.

Manton laughed, "I don't think so…" he looked around at the feeble numbers, barely a Silurian to cover every four soldiers and he doubted the humans before him were trained soldiers despite their weapons, " _This_ is your army Doctor?" he stepped up, pointing the gun straight at the Doctor, now more confident than ever that they could take the Time Lord down.

"I know," the Doctor mock-sighed, "Quite small isn't it? But…then again…" he started to smile, "This is only MY army," Manton's grin fell, "Because if you _think_ there are people out there who owe _me_ a debt," he shook his head slowly, a hard, cold look in his eyes, "Then you have _sorely_ underestimated Angel."

And then...more and more teleports kicked on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> O.O }:)
> 
> Lol, I think Rory's line about the baby sums his character up perfectly, to him the baby is innocent, whether it was Amy's and another mans, the baby wouldn't deserve to suffer, he's just so amazing :) I hope you liked the little bits of the Companions getting in on the recruiting ;) I debated having the Doctor be a bigger part of that, but...I think he'd want to focus on finding Angel too much to just go talk to anyone, and...well...with River especially...he'd probably kill her :)
> 
> And oh Donna, I seriously could NOT picture anyone being brave enough to get in Donna's way when she's angry lol :) And I think having been the sibling there when Angel was dying, suffering that with the Doctor, seeing them together and having met River...well, she'd be VERY angry ;)
> 
> I'm really excited for the next chapter, I hope you're excited and curious too ;)


	24. A Good Man Goes to War: A Gift

The soldiers looked on, in shock, as hundreds of people and aliens appeared on the scaffolding and around them, all over the base, on every level, all aiming guns _right at them_. Manton found himself being pulled back, a gun aimed at him as Jack and his team stormed the stage, Sarah Jane, Jenny, the Smiths and Donna rushing to join them, guarding them from the Headless Monks who had stepped up to help the two on stage, freezing in spot, waiting. Amy and Rory glanced back at the Doctor, guns of their own in hand.

It had been...alarming, at first, when the Doctor of all people told them to 'lock and load' but when the plan had been explained, they'd eagerly grabbed what weapons they could.

The Doctor stood on the platform, smiling, looking out at all those who had come to help him save Angel. So many familiar face he thought he'd never ever see again, his past with Angel lined up before him. A teenage Margaret the Slitheen, Lynda and the Controller, Sir Robert and his wife, Torchwood, members of UNIT, Sarah Jane Smith and her family, Mickey Smith and Martha, Zach and Mr. Jefferson and their crew, Elton and Ursula, a teenage Chloe Webber and her mother, Donna and her family and even _Lance_ , Shakespeare and Peter, Cheen with her husband Milo, Soloman and Frank and Tallulah and Lazlo, the snooty woman from Lazarus Laboratories, Captain McDonnel and her husband and crew, Timothy Latimer and Mr. Rocastle, Chantho, Astrid and Mr. Copper and the passengers of the _Titanic_ replica, Evelina and her family, quite a few Ood along with Dr. Ryder, Luke Rattigan, Jenny, the passengers of the Midnight shuttle, Jackson Lake and his son with Rosita and Jed and even Miss Hartigan, the passengers of the 200 with quite a few Tritovores, Alice and Stephen and Clem with Frobisher and his family, Liz 10 and her own personal guard, Bracewell, Bishop Octavian and his Clerics, Guido and Isabella, Vincent, Craig and Sophie, Kazran Sardick, Canton Everett Delaware the Third and some select members of the FBI, the crew of Captain Avery's ship along with the man and his son, both Cleaves with each of their teams both Human and Ganger alike…not to mention soldiers offered from Jack's old WWII unit who had leapt at the chance to help him 'save his sister,' from 18th century France, from the army of Dalek-Humans, from Timothy's WWI brigade, from the Roman legion helped by Quintus, from the cloned army of men and Hath, and a gathering of soldiers donated by each the 26 other planets that had been stolen…

All of them there for Angel.

It was like every single person she had ever saved, who had ever felt saved by her, was there to return the favor.

"Go ahead and try to fight," the Doctor smirked at the miniscule amount of soldiers before him, the Headless Monks lining the room, "You're out numbered 8 to 1."

The soldiers looked around hesitantly, clearly seeing the present danger and their chances having crashed down and slowly...disassembled their guns and put them on the ground, kicking them over to the line of people surrounding them on the ground.

"I have a fleet out there," Manton cut in, trying to get the soldiers to cease, to keep fighting, "Demons Run goes down there's an automatic distress call!"

"I know," the Doctor smirked, "I did my research, not easy to track you down, hack your security, but not _impossible_. Just a bit unlikely really. All I have to do...is knock out your communications array. And you've got incoming."

"Danny Boy to the Doctor, Danny Boy to the Doctor," a voice came over a comm..

"Give 'em hell Danny Boy!" the Doctor ordered into it, staring Manton down as he did so.

~8~

Bracewell's spitfires flew towards the base, firing at the satellite dish.

~8~

"Target destroyed!" Danny Boy cheered.

The Doctor just grinned, laughing.

"All airlocks sealed," Strax called, having returned from his assignment to secure the exits upon Manton's apprehension at the hands of Torchwood, "Resistance neutralized," Manton hung his head, "Don't slump, it's bad for your spine!"

"Now…" the Doctor turned to Manton, "I have just _one more thing_ to say to you…Give. Me. My. Mate. NOW!"

Manton flinched at the volume of the shout, at the anger evident in the voice, at how the Doctor was tensing, shaking, his hands clenched in fists, and looked over at Madam Kovarian who was just glaring at the Doctor. He looked around at the line of people aiming guns at all of them, at the sheer odds stacked against them, and sighed. He nodded at two guards to do as commanded.

"Hold on," the Doctor held up a hand, not even looking away from glaring at Manton to see the guards move, "Amy, Rory, you go with Vastra and Jenny, bring Angel here."

They nodded and dashed out with the two guards and the two others, knowing the Doctor wanted a nurse to go incase Angel needed help, knowing she'd have to be there to keep Rory calm if anything was wrong, and knowing that the Doctor wanted to keep all the people with guns in the room so he'd sent the ones with swords instead as he stayed behind to deal with the army that had dared steal his Mate and child from him...

~8~

Amy burst into the white room, as soon as the sword that had been wedged into the door to pry it open was lowered, to see Angel spin around from the window she'd been watching them out of, her white shirt hanging off her extremely large bump, "Angel!" she shouted, bounding down the stairs to hug her tightly, Rory close behind.

"Wow…" Rory laughed as he hugged her as well, so relieved she was alright and so...shocked by how BIG she was! He could understand why the clone had been sent, why it had been _that moment_ , any longer and the bump would have _definitely_ been noticeable. It really was shocking, his last memory of Angel was of her with the barely hidden bump and this was just...SO different! He was sure the bump was normal sized, but Angel was a bit smaller so it looked bigger.

"I know," Angel let out a relieved laugh to see them, tears in her eyes, "I've swallowed a planet."

"Angel," Vastra smiled gently at the woman from where she was standing at the top of the steps, Jenny behind her, keeping an eye out on the guards.

"Vastra," she nodded in reply, smiling at the woman in greeting.

"We must make haste," she told the Time Lady, "Before your Mate loses complete control."

Amy nodded, leading her out, "He was barely hanging on this last month."

"We actually had to knock him out a few times," Rory added, being sure NOT to mention the cricket bat, "When he wanted to just rush off without a plan, without help…"

"When he nearly destroyed three other bases, 2 planets, and 5 other species to find you…"

Angel frowned, concerned to hear that, "He was really THAT bad?"

She knew that the Doctor didn't do well alone, but...hadn't Amy and Rory been able to stop him? She winced a moment, her hand dropping to her stomach, of course they had. They'd said 'nearly.' And...she _knew_ how hard it was to stop the Doctor at times, often it took something HUGE to get through to him, like on Mars, and often that ended up being her in danger or hurt because of something. Humans...they tended to get caught up in the sheer amazement of the Doctor, would stand there and watch him face down an enemy with smiles on their faces because he was so brave and strong and brilliant. It was like Rory had described once, he just...blotted quite a bit out. The Doctor could blind people to what was going on, it was usually good in dangerous situations, made them feel safer, but at other times...like with the Silence...he might do something truly terrible and it was like the humans didn't even realize it. She didn't want to sound arrogant, but...she knew that being there for him, her, helped him keep that darkness down, helped keep him in control. He'd often told her that she made him want to be a better man and try harder and not be consumed by the darkness in him.

And she hadn't been there this time.

Amy could only nod solemnly. The darkness in him that she'd only _glimpsed_ on occasion had been in full force every single waking second the last month. He didn't smile, he didn't laugh, he spent the entire time gathering information, calling in his old debts, planning…she shivered, it had been the _first_ time she'd been terrified, not of him, but for the ones that had taken Angel and the army that stood in the Doctor's way…

"Let's go then," Angel nodded, struggling up the stairs, gripping Rory's hand tightly as he helped her.

"Angel...are you alright?" Rory asked, his hand going numb.

"I will be," she murmured as they made it to the halls, she just had to get to the Doctor in time, hold it off a little longer...

~8~

"Colonel Manton," Strax called, "You will give the order for your men to withdraw."

"No," the Doctor stepped closer to the man, a deadly look in his eye, "Colonel Manton, I want you to tell your men to run away."

"You what?" Manton demanded as the soldiers looked on, helpless and even a bit stunned at the order.

"Those words. Run away, I want you to be _famous_ for those _exact_ words," Manton started to back away as the Doctor advanced on him slowly, Torchwood letting him go, smirking as they watched the Doctor stalk dangerously, like a hunter after its prey, "I want people to call you Colonel Run-Away. I want children _laughing_ outside your door 'cos they've found the house of Colonel Run-Away!" Jenny and Martha glanced at each other as they saw the Doctor's shoulders heaving, as though panting, and they knew, he was reaching the end of his temper at all this, "And, when people come to you and ask if trying to get to _me_ through the people _I_ _love_!" he shouted, now in the man's face, nearly nose-to-nose with him, spitting in his fury, his eyes so narrowed that Manton wasn't sure he could even see any longer, "Is in _any_ way a good idea…" he stared Manton down a moment, Mickey and Donna smiling as they watched him intimidate the man who had been trying to kill him, a floppy haired man in a bowtie managing that against a military man, that was quite the sight to see, "I want you to tell them your name…" he breathed hard, Sarah Jane watching him cautiously, worried, "Oh, look! I'm angry. That's new," he smiled, one that actually alarmed Manton even more as it was the look of a man who truly was _so angry_ that anything, _anything at all_ , was possible. The Doctor seemed to agree with that notion as he stepped back, "I'm really _not_ sure what's going to happen now," he told the man in a low, threatening voice.

"The anger of a good man is not a problem," Madam Kovarian spoke from the side, not sounding at all worried about his temper, something that made the companions stiffen, knowing she was baiting him, knowing THEY were getting riled up as well, "Good men have too many rules."

"Good men don't need rules," he looked past Manton to glare at her, recognizing her as the woman with the eye patch that had been watching Angel, that Amy had been seeing, Madam Kovarian according to Dorium, "And today...is really NOT the day to find out why I have _so many_. Because today," he tried to take a breath, to calm down, but he was so far beyond any fury he'd ever felt before that it was just...impossible to do, "Is the day I would be willing to break _every single one of them_ to get Angel back. Now…" he turned back to Manton, "Give the order," but Manton was quiet, lifting his chin and narrowing his eyes, as though trying to seem defiant and strong, "Give it now or I swear you will not like what will happen," and then, before they could even blink, he reached out and grabbed Manton by the lapels of his jacket, shoving the man back and to the side, making the man gasp as the wind was knocked out of him, his eyes widened at the move, having not expected the Doctor to lash out, "You have taken _my Mate_!" he half-snarled at the man, his hands curling into fists, grabbing the man tighter, "You endangered _my child_!"

At that moment, the fury on his face would be one to give nightmares to the soldiers looking on for years to come.

But the Doctor wasn't finished yet, "You were _fools_ to think any power in this UNIVERSE WOULD _STOP ME_!"

"Doctor," a gentle voice called out.

And just like that...a single small power in the Universe did.

The army watched in stunned silence as the Doctor's _entire_ demeanor shifted from absolute fury and hatred to concern and love as he spun away from Manton, letting the man go, to see Angel hanging onto Amy for support as they walked towards the platform. He rushed to the edge of the platform and dropped to his knees as she came beside it, probably bruising them soundly but he didn't care, his eyes hadn't left her from the moment he turned around. Gently, the Doctor reached out and touched her face, tears of relief in his eyes as he cupped her cheeks, his thumbs stroking them, staring at her in awe, like he couldn't believe she was really there, that she was ok, that she was back in his arms where she belonged.

"Hello…" he breathed, actually NOT knowing what to say, words were failing him.

She smiled, tears in her eyes as well, reaching up to put one hand on his right wrist, not pulling his hand away but curling her fingers around his, her thumb stroking his pulse point, making him shiver at the feather light sensation, "Hello."

He smiled at her, so loving, so kind, that the soldiers were questioning if the man they had seen only moments ago had even been real or just a horrible nightmare.

"Are you alright?" the Doctor asked quickly, looking her over, now frantic, his hands moving to her shoulders to look at her fully, "Did they hurt you? Did they hurt the baby? What did they do? What happened? Did they…"

"I'm fine," she cut in, reaching out to take his left hand, "We're _both_ fine…" and placed it on her large stomach.

The Doctor let out a gasp as a tear fell from his eye at the sensation of their son or daughter kicking his hand, it knew he was there! It knew who he was! Already he could feel the paternal bonds forming with the baby just through this one touch. The baby was aware of him, knew he was its father, and...it was _happy_. It felt like he could breathe again, like his worst fears had melted away. He didn't like sleeping the last month, hated it when Amy and Rory made him, because he feared the nightmares that would form. The nightmares that Angel would hate him for what he'd done, that the baby would grow to hate him, that he'd be alone, with the woman who meant the world to him not able to stand the sight of him.

But now...the baby was kicking, it was happy he was there.

Angel smiled, seeing the awe in his eyes as he stared at her stomach, as though he couldn't believe it. She had felt the baby moving for ages, but the Doctor...this was the first time that HE had felt their baby moving, felt it there, felt the life in it. She leaned in, closing her eyes as her head came to rest beside his, "She's just as active as her father," she whispered to him in his ear, wanting to tell him that privately, he was the father, he deserved to know before anyone else, but not trusting herself to speak to him in his mind just yet, her emotions were too wild...and her head was hurting.

The Doctor, who had let his eyes fall closed at the feel of her head against his, let his head fall forward to nuzzle the side of her head with his own, froze, letting out a shuddering breath, "She?" his eyes filled with tears as he looked at his hand still on her stomach, a little girl…it was a little girl, _his_ little girl, his _baby_ girl in there, and the paternal sense increased tenfold, thinking of Jenny, of what had nearly happened to her and this was a _baby_ , this was a little life that was his to protect from every harm in the Universe, and speaking of…

"Heaven help them if they'd harmed you," he whispered, pulling back just enough to rest his head against hers, such a familiar action to him, yet so foreign to the Ponds as they watched on, though with smiles on their faces to see them.

"They could _never_ ," Angel whispered, quite literally, they hadn't been able to do much of anything, at least...she thought so.

It seemed that, even while unconscious, some part of her mind recognized the threat she and the baby were in. If Kovarian or her scientists so much as tried to cut into her, to take the baby or inject it or anything...the Vortex would swirl up, creating a wall to keep them out, she'd heard the medics complaining about it. At most they'd been able to get scans and only barely enough DNA to examine it under microscopes, and even then it had been from her Ganger as the cells were 'exact.' And she had been even more protective when she'd woken up, Kovarian hadn't seemed too worried about not getting more samples from her...though...she didn't know why.

"I knew you were coming, we both did."

"Always…" he swore, reaching up to cup her cheek in his free hand once more, "I will _always_ come for you."

"Well aren't you two sweet," Jack cooed, making the companions laugh despite the tense situation, the soldiers frowning at how they all seemed to have forgotten the Doctor's rather terrifying moment just seconds ago.

Angel shook her head and looked at him, and then...at everyone in the room, EVERYONE in the base. She knew the Doctor was coming with Amy and Rory, knew he might get a bit of help...but even for all her abilities... "I wasn't quite expecting all this…"

"They wanted to help," Rory said, stepping up, "As soon as word got out that you'd been taken, they all volunteered."

Angel blinked and frowned at him, confused, "But how did they know…"

"We're not sure," Amy stepped up as well, "They all said that they just...felt like something had happened to you. Some of them made their way to Torchwood and Jack used the Rift to round up the ones from other periods."

"I think," the Doctor murmured, "The whole Universe shivered when you'd been taken," he told her, reminding her of what he'd said to Sarah Jane and Jo, how if he'd died the Universe would feel it. It seemed this was the Universe's way of making it up to her, the Universe itself had felt her danger and so many from so far had heard the call.

Angel looked at Jack who winked at her, the last she'd spoken to him, he'd been telling her how they were working on creating a better Rift controller, one that would let them sort of turn it into a doorway, a portal through time, walk through one end, and end up in another point in history anywhere on the planet, at will with no glitches. It was how they'd gotten most of the armies there from different periods of history. It seemed it was worked.

Angel, though, didn't seem quite so happy or touched by that...well, she WAS touched, so incredibly touched that so many people would come to help get her back. But...as she stared at the gun in Jenny's hands...she felt her hearts dropping. Jack...well, she'd seen him with a gun plenty of times, Torchwood favored them, but _Jenny_...Jenny was her daughter too, in every way that counted and she was holding a GUN.

"Trust me," the Doctor whispered to her, his eyes closed, resting his head to hers, not needing to see her expression or read her mind to know what was bothering her, "I wouldn't have asked anyone to bring them without a reason."

"But they're _guns_ ," she looked at him.

He just opened his eyes to smile gently at her, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear, "Trust me," he repeated.

Jenny frowned, seeing something in her mother's expression, "Mum," she called, nodding at her meaningfully, "Trust us."

Jack and Donna exchanged a sad look at that, realizing what Jenny had, what the Doctor hadn't seemed to realize...why JENNY had had to ask Angel to put her trust in this. But they shook their heads, they couldn't tell him that, not now, not when they should all be so happy that Angel was ok.

"I just..." Angel swallowed, turning back to the Doctor, "I don't like guns or armies, they built one to face YOU," she squeezed his hand on her stomach, "And now you've built one against _them_?"

"We're not an army," Sarah Jane told her.

"We're your _family_ ," Martha agreed.

Angel blinked and looked at them all smiling at her.

"I just said that to scare them a bit," the Doctor whispered to her, smiling a wide grin, "They deserve it," he shrugged.

Angel frowned, eyeing him a moment, before she saw what his plan had been in his mind, all that time, all those weapons, and started to smile, about to reply...when suddenly she hunched forward, gripping her stomach in pain with both hands.

"What is it?!" the Doctor shouted, leaping off the platform and right to her side in an instant, moving his arm around her to support her, "What've they done?" he looked at Strax as the potato dwarf moved to scan her.

"It...wasn't them," Angel ground out.

"It's contractions," Strax stated, looking at the readings.

"When did it start?" the Doctor asked urgently.

"Three hours ago," Angel strained to reply.

"Oh my God," the Doctor gasped, "We need to get you to a med-bay, now!" the TARDIS, while amazing, was NOT an equipped place to give birth in, how Angel's mother had manged to do it in a console room he didn't know nor did he want to find out.

"But labor can take _ages_ after the first contraction," Rory said, slipping into nurse mode.

"For a human yes. But Time Lord labors, contrary to the length of pregnancy, rarely last longer than five."

"Oh my God," Rory mimicked the Doctor, he learned new things about Time Lord pregnancies every day it seemed.

"Where's the med-bay!?" Amy looked around, frantic, of course the ONE thing they _hadn't_ looked up on the plans. Holding cells, doors, escape pods, vents, but not...the med-bay.

"I can take you there," Lorna stepped forward, pushing past her fellow soldiers.

The Doctor glared at her, seeing her dressed in the army attire, and moved to step in front of Angel, "Why should we trust…"

"Doctor," Angel gasped, grabbing his arm as another contraction hit, "She's ok."

"But…" he turned to her. She looked up at him, forcing herself to share the vision she had seen before with him, of the little girl with the purple flower who looked so much like the girl, Lorna Bucket, who was standing before them, "Oh…" he turned back to the girl, "Lorna Bucket!"

Lorna's eyes widened, stunned, "You remember me?"

The Doctor gave a noncommittal nod, "Course I do. I remember everyone."

"No, _I_ remember everyone," Angel replied, going on what she'd seen, "You were so small then, had a...bright purple flower in your hair…you…"

"Gave it to you," Lorna nodded, "To remember us by."

"She'll help."

"Alright then, lead the way!" he cheered, helping Angel walk off...only to spin around, "Vastra, Jack, you know what to do," he winked at them, looking for all the world as though the darkness that had possessed him the last month, the last hour, had never existed as he disappeared through the doors...and why should it? His Mate was back and his daughter was about to be born!

Jack grinned, shaking his head at Time Lord mood swings, and turned to their own 'army,' making the real army stiffen in fear when he lifted his gun, all the others doing so as well.

"Fire!" Vastra hissed out the command.

Manton's army, and the man himself, flinched, even Kovarian closing her eye, readying for the feel of lead or blasters burning through them...

Only to be sprinkled on with some liquid.

They looked up to see all the ones who'd come to help Angel smirking at them as they attacked…with water guns.

Jack just shook his head, "As though he would _ever_ ask anyone to _kill_."

As though Angel would EVER let him.

~8~

An hour and a half later the army was _still_ there, but on their knees, with their hands behind their heads, the rest of the crew, the mechanics and engineers, all kneeling with them, everyone moved to the hanger by 'Angel's Army' as they had jokingly called themselves, which led to Jack making a remark about AA. They glanced around nervously, at the hoards of people still gathered around them, talking quietly. All the others who had come for Angel, they had no weapons out anymore, the soldiers could overpower them easily, but the Silurians, Judoon, and the Sontaran _did_ have weapons and seemed to have no qualm with firing, and so they were powerless to really do anything, and the sheer numbers alone were enough to make them pause.

They were very nervous though, having no idea why they were still there despite Manton and Kovarian being forced off the base earlier. What were they planning to do to them? Were they going to blow up the base like the Cyber-Legion had been with them still on it? Thrown in a supernova? Taken back in time and forced to live their lives in the past?

Just then the side doors of the base opened and Amy ran in, a wide smile on her face, tears in her eyes, "It's a girl!"

The soldiers flinched as the 'Army' blew up in cheers and claps and hoots and hugs.

"That's my niece!" Martha shouted above the din, despite not being a 'sister' of Angel's she knew they were as close as ones.

"Oi!" Donna called, "That's _my_ niece too!"

"Well that's _my_ goddaughter," Sarah Jane beamed, claiming that even though the Doctor and Angel hadn't discussed it with ANY of them, they were all just SO excited!

"I'll fight you for her," Jack called to her with a laugh, tears of his own in his eyes as his team hugged behind him.

"Hey!" Jenny laughed, "Hey! That's my little sister!" really the ONLY one with an actual biological claim to the girl, being the Doctor's daughter, the girl was her half-sister at the very least!

The soldiers could only look on, stunned, as the 'Army' went on, calling back and forth over who would be who in the child's life. It was the first time since they'd been hired that they actually debated and doubted whether or not they were doing the right thing, agreeing to fight the Doctor. If his Mate could inspire such loyalty and their child such _joy_...why did the man who was such an important aspect of their lives deserve to die?

But they had little time to think on that as the 'Army,' having calmed down, had turned to them, getting ready to force them off the base while the rest of the 'family' headed to meet their newest addition.

~8~

Angel looked up at the Doctor as she cradled their baby, their daughter, in her arms, just rocking her slowly as the Doctor sat on the edge of the bed in the med-bay, as physically close to her as he could be, watching them both with a gentle smile and a soft look. He reached out and touched Angel's cheek with the back of his fingers, stroking it a moment, "You are SO beautiful," he whispered to her.

She knew he was lying, she was a right old mess. Her hair was matted, she was sweating, she was rather a bit dirty, a crying wreck, and he was...staring at her as though she were a star bursting into life before him, a miracle.

"I love you Nella," he whispered, touching her chin with his finger to lift her head, leaning forward to give her a deep, gentle kiss, the first since he'd regenerated, pouring all his happiness and relief and love into it. It lasted quite a while, him not wanting it to end as it had been FAR too long since he'd kissed his beautiful Mate. Their daughter was oddly silent as they kissed, seeming content to bask in the love of her parents when the Doctor pulled back a moment later to press another kiss to her head and just _look_ at her.

Angel blinked, tears forming in her eyes when she saw it, "I never thought I'd see it again," she breathed.

"See what?" he asked.

She shifted their daughter in her arms so one hand was free, lifting it to touch his cheek, just...staring at his eyes, "That _sparkle_. The sparkle you used to get whenever you looked at me," it was back.

He swallowed hard, still so unbelievably guilt-ridden that he'd somehow had his bond with her suppressed in such a way, "I'm so, _so_ sorry…I don't know what happened…"

"I think..." she hesitated to say. She'd come up with SO many theories, some mad, some alarming, some devastating, as to why he'd forgotten her, but now that he remembered...there was only one she could think of that made sense, "I think your last self was a bit more possessive than I gave him credit for," she only half joked.

She'd had nearly three years to work out all possible theories about why the bond had been suppressed, and that was the only thing that fit, the only thing that still made sense and didn't stab her in the hearts. Before he'd regenerated, his _deepest_ fear was that another man would walk off with her…it made sense, in a way, that it carried over and he'd literally _forced himself_ away from her so another man wouldn't take her away.

But it was still him, deep down, he just needed to _remember_ that…to move on…she laughed a bit at that notion, moving on. _She_ had tried to move on, once.

"What?" he looked at her, his arm that had moved around her back now slowly lifting a hand, absently stroking her hair, while his other arm came around to the one holding their baby, his hand resting on hers, his thumb stroking the back of hers.

"I tried not loving you," she murmured to him. His eyes widened at that as she looked down, almost ashamed to admit she'd given up hope like that, for a moment at least, "I thought it would be easier, to deal with all that, if I _didn't_ love you, love this incarnation of you too…but how could I not?" she let out a small, sadder, laugh, sniffling a bit, "I just…love you to bits," she looked at him to see him looking at her intently, listening to her, HEARING her, noticing her, noticing everything about her, "How you rambled, your absent-mindedness, how you just pop up randomly, when you shout So!, how you snap your fingers, your childishness, how you never have a plan just a thing…" she laughed, tears falling from her eyes now as she cried happier tears than she had in a while, clearly the experiment had failed as... "God I even love your bowtie."

He gave her a small, soft smile, "Yes well, quite right too," he whispered, "Bowties are cool. And speaking of…" he reached into his pocket and pulled out a rather small bowtie.

She looked at it a moment before eyeing him, seeing that it was for their baby, "You _do_ know she's a girl yes?"

"Yes," he nodded with a laugh, leaning down to gently clip the little pink bowtie to a tuft of chocolate brown hair on the girl's head before dropping a kiss onto it for good measure, God he loved that little girl SO much already! It was incredible.

"Where's the birthday girl!?" Jack's distinctive voice shouted before the doors slid open and Angel had to laugh loudly at the sight before her.

Jack was there...she was pretty sure at least. There was a GIANT pink stuffed bear standing there with two arms clothed in a blue jacket wrapped around it. It truly might have been bigger than the inside of the TARDIS! The bear shuffled forward, turning a bit to reveal Jack behind it, grinning.

"Oi, Jack!" Martha said as he was nudged, "Move it!"

"Come on cheese cake you're blocking the way!" Mickey agreed.

Jack laughed, entering the room to reveal the rest of the 'family' behind him. Donna had a mass of pink balloons in hand, Sarah Jane flowers in her arms, Martha with a small cake. Amy and Rory followed, Amy with her arms full of small pjs and adorable outfits for a baby while Rory resigned himself to carrying the shoes or booties. Jenny had a huge card that had actually been signed by everyone there, while the rest of Torchwood had similar, but smaller stuffed animals. And Mickey brought up the rear with a camera, ready to snap photos of the incredible moment to come.

"What's all this?" Angel shook her head at them.

"Not every day a new Time Lord is born," Sarah Jane explained gently, all of them moving to place their items in the back before they headed over.

"She's beautiful," Gray breathed as they gathered around the bed, all of them staring at the baby sleeping in Angel's arms.

"Oh there she is!" Amy squealed, unable to contain it any longer as she ran around the small group to Angel's other side, cooing and touching the baby as it slowly stirred.

"How are you?" Rory walked over to Amy, putting his hand on his wife's shoulders, as they spoke to Angel.

"We're fine," Angel smiled up at him, though they could all see the Time Lady was exhausted.

"Rory?" the Doctor looked at him seriously, knowing he'd left Rory in charge of finding any medical files he could, "How is she? Is she alright? Are they alright? Did they do anything to either of them? What…"

"Oi, Spaceman, let him talk!" Donna rolled her eyes though she couldn't stop smiling, the baby really was the most adorable thing she'd ever seen.

"She's fine," Rory nodded, "I checked, and she's fine. I found a lot of scans though, left them up on the mainframe if you want to check yourself," the Doctor nodded in thanks.

"Oh, look now sweetheart," Angel whispered as the baby's face started to scrunch, truly waking up at the talking, however softly, going on around her, "Here's your Aunties and Uncles," she smiled at Amy, Rory, Donna, Martha, Mickey, Ianto, Owen, Gray, Tosh, and Gwen, "Your godmum and godfather," she nodded at Sarah Jane and Jack, a knowing look on her face as though she knew what they'd been arguing about before, "And your sister Jenny."

"Hello," Jenny gave the girl a little wave.

Rory beamed a watery smile as he looked at the girl. Angel had called him Uncle Rory once during his wedding, but to see the baby in person, to see those magnificent green orbs blink open and look at him, it was indescribable.

"She really _is_ beautiful," even OWEN had to agree.

Rory nodded, tearing up, "Oh, God, I was going to be cool. I wanted to be cool, look at me."

Jack laughed and clapped him on the back, "Look at the rest of us," Jack told him, all of them, even he and his team, were near tears as well. They'd come so far, seen so much, but nothing...nothing was quite as miraculous as this.

Amy stood and turned to her husband, "You're ok," she agreed, "Crying Roman plus baby equals definitely cool," and then pulled him into a kiss.

"My daughter," the Doctor breathed, pulling all their attention back to see him just looking at the little girl in wonder, reaching out a finger to her which she grasped in her tiny little hands, squeezing, which made him beam, "Hello."

Jenny moved to her father's side, leaning in, "Hello baby sister," and then she realized something, "What's her name?"

"We gave her one in Gallifreyan," Angel remarked absently.

"But only the parents and child are to know what it is till Mating," the Doctor cut in before they could ask what it was.

Gwen frowned, "So what do we call her then?"

Sarah Jane nodded, recalling something her old Doctor had mentioned once when she'd asked him, seriously, why he called himself the Doctor, if it was his name, "The Naming Ceremony is still decades away, isn't it?"

"Typically others address a child by their last name," the Doctor explained.

"You have a last name?" Ianto was the one to ask, seeming surprised by that. He knew that they jokingly called Angel 'Angie Harkness' despite the woman claiming to be 'Angela Jones' when she needed a cover. But to find out they actually had last names? That was...new.

"Everyone has a last name."

"But we can't tell other species what it is," Angel added.

"Then what should we call her if you can't tell us?" Tosh asked.

Gwen nodded, "We can't just call her 'baby' or 'child' all the time. That'll give her a complex."

"I suppose we could give her a nickname," the Doctor thought out loud, this situation didn't usually come up much on Gallifrey.

"How about Pinky?" Rory suggested, earning a chuckle from a few of them.

"Pinky?" Amy eyed him oddly.

"She's in a pink blanket…" Mickey agreed, pointing to it.

Angel blinked, "How did you know she was a girl?" she asked, looking at all the pink around them, the balloons, the bear...

"Guilty," Donna smirked, "50-50 chance and I think your intuition kicked in. And, speaking as a partial psychic, the best name for her would be...Ginny of course," she joked, "Jenny and Ginny."

Jenny shook her head, "That'll get too confusing."

"How about Angela?" Gwen suggested, "You go by it, Angel."

"But what happens when she's on Earth and has to be called it?" Martha countered.

"Lily," Jack supplied as they looked at him, "Rose can't be here and it would be a little honorable mention for her Aunt Rose right?"

Angel smiled at that and looked at the baby...she didn't seem like a Lily though.

"No flower names," Gray argued with his brother, "You want her to be called Pansy or something?"

"Well there's always Tara," Sarah Jane offered, "It's close to the TARDIS."

"Oh, I like that," Tosh nodded.

"Yeah, but that's just 'a rat' spelled backwards," Owen pointed out.

Amy shook her head at them all, "How about Melody?"

"Melody?" the Doctor asked, he and Angel more amused as they listened to the 'family' arguing over baby names while they sat there with the girl in their arms. They both knew that the family meant well, trying to come up with names to choose for _their_ daughter, but none of them really...fit.

"It's the name she's always wanted to use for her daughter," Rory answered.

"Well we can't name her that," Angel reached out and squeezed Amy's hand, "You need to reserve that for if you have a daughter."

"Ayla," a soft voice called from the doorway. They looked over to see Lorna standing there, hesitant to enter and disturb the family moment, but she'd wanted to tell them that the soldiers were nearly gone, just her left, the last shuttle leaving. But she'd heard them talking, shouting off names, and just...well, it didn't hurt to offer.

Jack looked at her, still not sure if he trusted her despite Angel's assurances, "A-what?"

"It's...it's a word my people use in the Gamma Forests."

"What's it mean?" Mickey frowned, just as tense and suspicious of Jack about the girl.

Lorna smiled, "Gift."

Angel looked at the baby thoughtfully and then up at the Doctor as he smiled and stroked the baby girl's cheek, "That she is," he agreed.

And she really was. She was a gift, a miracle really. He knew Angel's family's history of pregnancies, for the girl to even be born at all was truly the best gift they could ever have. And she was more than that, she was his chance at a family again, Angel's chance to be a mother after nearly losing that when she'd been dying, and just...the first step in them being a true family.

"Ayla," Angel breathed, testing the name before looking at Lorna, "It's perfect…"

Lorna grinned widely as Ayla gurgled, seeming to like the name as well as she wiggled her arms, pulling the Doctor's attention back to her as she hadn't let go of his finger yet, oh she'd be a hugger he could tell, just like him, grab something and hold on tight.

The Doctor looked down at her, nodding as he listened to her squeal about her mother, now fully awake, "Well, yes, I suppose she does smell nice. Haven't actually sniffed her in this incarnation, maybe I should give it a go," he turned to Angel, lifting her hand to his mouth and dropping a kiss to the back of it, oblivious to the smiles growing on the men's faces, the soft sighs the women were giving him at the action, "I'm sorry we were so long," he told her as he breathed in the scent of her wrist.

The Ponds watched on, still trying to get used to this. It was SO different than how he had been before. Even just sitting there they could tell this was not the same man from before. He was physically as close to Angel as he could get, his arms around her, hadn't taken his eyes off her if he could help it, completely content to be with her, completely focused on her and just...exuding an aura of gentleness and love. They could see now why Angel had been so devastated when he forgot, if THIS was anything close to how he'd been before. To lose something like this, to go from this to the man who had popped out of the TARDIS in a garden...was a shocking change.

"I told you before," she nearly cried at the action, at him kissing the back of her hand once more, such a familiar thing that she hadn't known she'd missed SO much till just then, "I knew you were coming. And thank you, all of you," she smiled at all of her family standing before them.

"Group hup!" Jack shouted, shoving the Torchwood team forward, the others moving as well with a laugh.

"Yes," the Doctor laughed as they all pressed in close to the bed and did their best to hug everyone at once, "Thank you," Ayla squealed suddenly and they all pulled away sharply, fearing they'd harmed the newborn...but the Doctor just reached out, seeing the girl reaching up at him and took her hand in two fingers, "It's ok," he reassured her as Angel smiled at her complaints, "We're still _all yours_ ," she gurgled and he laughed, whispering to her, "And really, I think she'd love it even more if you called her 'mummy' instead of 'Squishy Bed.' And I'm 'daddy,' not 'Warm Thingy.'"

"What?" Martha had to laugh as they listened to him not make sense, not that he ever really made sense but this was a new level of it.

"I speak Baby."

"No, you don't!" Amy scoffed.

"I speak everything...don't I, sweetheart?" he ran a finger down Ayla's cheek.

She gurgled once more and Angel rolled her eyes, "Oh no."

"What?" Rory asked, alarmed, worried...

But Angel just reached to and tugged on the Doctor's bowtie, "She thinks it's cool!"

"Ha ha," the Doctor beamed, victorious and VERY pleased by that.

Just then Vastra entered the room, moving to lean on a railing at the top of the steps. She hit a device on the wall and brought up a large screen security footage of the hanger, "Doctor! Angel! Take a look. They're leaving!" the Doctor looked over to see the last of the soldiers entering the shuttles that would take them away, led by the Silurians, "Demons Run is ours without a drop of blood spilled! My friend, you have never risen higher!"

Rory looked up at Vastra's words, recalling River's.

Jack though, just smiled at the job well done, glancing at the Doctor and Angel, surrounded by family, "Now that that's taken care of...Doc...can I have a word with you?" Jack asked, nodding at the doors, "Outside? In private? Where no one can hear you scream?"

The companions laughed at that though the Doctor swallowed nervously, Angel frowning as she heard a serious note in Jack's voice that told her he was being serious about the not hearing him scream bit, "Jack..." she began.

"We just have some unfinished business Ang," Jack winked at her, clapping the Doctor on the shoulder and leading him out, his grip on the man's shoulder tightening as he forced the Time Lord out of the room. He hated to take the man away from his Mate and daughter after all that happened, but they really DID have something to see to.

~8~

Angel walked out of the TARDIS with Ayla in her arms, having just said goodbye to Jack and the rest of the family. Now that the danger had passed, it was time for everyone to head home. She had insisted really, the base was empty, all that was left was them and the Doctor just had to look at the scans Rory had found and they'd be off themselves. She didn't want to disrupt the lives of everyone who'd come to help too much despite their protests that they could stay as long as they were needed.

The Doctor had seemed to understand another motive behind it. She was dead tired and the large mass of people talking and cheering and crowding around her was just...getting to be a bit much. She was eternally grateful to them, had told them so herself, but everything was ok now. And so the 'army,' which she still didn't like to consider that, had departed. The Doctor had used a combination of the TARDIS teleports, Jack's Vortex Manipulator, and the Rift to get everyone back to Earth where Jack would see to sorting out the different people and where they needed to go. He could see how tired she was as well it seemed.

The family had stuck around long enough after the initial teleport to take a big family photo, and then, once they had left, getting hugs and kisses from her, and kissing Ayla as well, Amy had insisted on a smaller family photo as well, one she could keep at their house if ever they were left there for two months again. Angel had smiled and agreed and carefully handed Ayla to Amy when she requested that she hold the baby for it. And so the picture had been taken, Amy with Ayla in her arms, Angel smiling at them, with the Doctor and Rory there as well. They'd managed it only a moment before Vastra had requested help in making sure the base was ready to be destroyed, really empty of any stragglers save Lorna.

Once Amy and Rory had left...Angel had turned to the TARDIS to introduce Ayla...only for the rotor to go wild, the light blinding, the hum excessively loud, easily the loudest she'd ever heard the box being.

Rory looked over from where he was standing with Amy when he spotted Angel rushing out of the box with Ayla in her arms, the baby starting to cry a bit, "Hey, what's wrong?"

"My sister is a bit too excited at being an aunt," she explained, she'd noticed that since having Idris in her head, she understood the TARDIS better, not quite what the box was saying, but she was starting to _feel_ what the box felt at times, "She's being very loud and Ayla's tired. I think the Doctor's trying to calm her down a bit," she didn't know, she'd rushed out a bit too quickly and left the Doctor in the console room.

"Rory!" Jenny called as she walked up with Strax, "The Judoon have escorted the Clerics out of the quadrant, Spitfires have returned to their own time as have the rest of the rescue team, and Captain Avery and his men...is she alright?" she looked at the baby as it cried.

"Yes. She's just tired…"

"Give her to me," Strax held out his arms, "She needs changing."

"She was born barely an hour ago Strax, she's _tired_ …"

"Then perhaps she needs a feed. I'll take care of everything," he stepped forward, his hands out.

"I really _don't_ think you will, actually," Rory stepped in front of Angel protectively, he was not about to let _anyone_ take her baby away, not even the walking baked potato with a gun, he'd actually had to STOP himself from arguing against Amy holding the baby in the TARDIS.

"I have gene-spliced myself for all nursing duties. I can produce magnificent quantities of lactic fluid."

"She's not hungry," Angel shook her head, feeling a migraine starting, "She's…"

"Tired," the Doctor called, stepping out of the TARDIS, carrying an old-fashioned, wooden cot that had been painted purple once long ago with him, "Sorry, sweetheart, they're just not listening."

"What's this?!" Amy looked at the cot closely.

"Very pretty, according to our daughter," Angel laughed, gently swaying with their baby as she calmed.

"It's a...it's a _cot_ ," Rory observed.

"No flies on the Roman," the Doctor remarked before turning to Angel, "Give her here," he grinned as she handed her over, just smiling down at his little girl, so small and, he swore it, so safe in his arms, "Hey there…"

"There we are," Angel soothed, squeezing Ayla's hand just a bit as she squirmed in her father's arms happily though she reached out for her mother as well.

"But where would you get a cot?" Rory continued as the Doctor gently put her in it.

"It's old," Amy ran her hand alongside it, looking down at the golden circular symbols along the side, " _Really_ old. Doctor...have you ever had children before this?"

The Doctor was silent, Angel hesitating only a moment before reaching out to take his hand. He looked over at her, he couldn't believe he'd forgotten the comfort she always seemed able to give him. He'd _missed_ that the last couple years, how a simple squeeze from her hand could make him feel warm and better.

"No," Angel told their daughter gently as she gurgled, "It's actually real, it's his hair," she glanced at his head, curious, before she ran another hand through his hair, ruffling it, watching as the Doctor's eyes dropped closed and a faint groan sounded under his breath. Well that was something, it seemed he still had a thing about people touching his hair.

' _YOU,_ ' he corrected in her mind, nearly making her gasp to hear him speaking in it once more, ' _When YOU touch my hair, only you._ '

"Who slept in here?" Amy asked, unaware of the small moment she'd interrupted.

But before he could speak, Angel gasped, "Doctor what happened!?" she reached up and touched his cheek, seeing a small bruise forming on it...a fist sized bruise.

"Um..." he shifted, knowing she'd tell if he was lying, not wanting to EVER lie to her, but also not wanting to tell her what happened, "Jack and I...had a few words."

Not really, he'd followed Jack out of the med-bay, down the hall, around a corner...and into Jack's fist.

"He HIT you?!" Angel stared at him, wide eyed. She knew Jack would react...but she hoped he wouldn't have hurt the Doctor. She didn't like people getting hurt, especially when they didn't know if he deserved it or not. Which was terrible to think because...she probably would have punched him herself if he really was responsible for the amnesia...which, to be honest, they _still_ didn't know for certain what had caused it.

"It doesn't matter," he tried to wave it off, when he saw her reach out to touch the bruise and grabbed her hand, KNOWING what she was going to try to do, "No," he told her, holding her hand instead, "Don't," he whispered, not wanting her to waste the energy it would take, Vortex or regeneration, to heal his bruise, and he deserved it too, "You save your strength," he added, lifting her hand to kiss the back of it once more, "It's a bruise, it'll heal."

Just as Angel opened her mouth to argue, Vastra called over the speakers, "Doctor, we need you in the main control room, we've got the scans ready."

"Be right there!" he called back before turning to Angel, "Things to do..." he gave her a quick peck, "You just stay here and rest," he kissed her forehead, "I'm going to work out what this base is for. We can't leave till we know," he turned and kissed Ayla's forehead as she started to doze in her cot before heading off.

"But _this_ is where Angel was?" Amy called as she stepped beside Angel, putting an arm around her.

She'd worked out _ages_ ago that Angel had told her to go to the TARDIS bathroom, even if she hadn't been aware at the time, so that she wouldn't end up there too. If she had been taken in the bathroom of the White House, the chances were SHE would have been taken along with her, and who knew what they'd do to some random human they didn't need? She was even more concerned about the woman than before, knowing that.

The Doctor stopped and looked back.

"The whole time we thought she was on the TARDIS, she was really here."

"I _was_ on the TARDIS too..." Angel squeezed her tightly.

"Her heart, her mind, her soul," the Doctor added quietly, still absolutely _disgusted_ with himself for not noticing, "But physically, yes, she was still in this place."

"And when I saw Kovarian watching me..." Angel swallowed hard, "That was the signal getting caught in your head, making you see it as well."

"So her Flesh avatar was with us all that time," Rory frowned, "But that means they were projecting a control signal right into the _TARDIS_. Wherever we were, in time and space."

"Yeah, they're very...clever," the Doctor nodded, that was another thing he wanted to look into.

"Who are?" Amy asked.

"Whoever wants our baby."

"But why do they want her?" Rory asked.

"Exactly!" he was going to find out if it was the _last_ thing he did.

It was the only thing that made sense to him, why they'd taken Angel but hadn't done anything to her, they wanted the baby for something. He closed his eyes, praying to every star he could think of, that it wasn't like humans sometimes did with babies who were...aborted on purpose for the sake of stem cells and cord blood and things. A Time Lord Baby? The potential would be...unlimited. And he would NOT let them harm his child, use his daughter like that.

"Is there anything you're not telling us? You thought Amy wasn't real, you never said."

"He didn't know if they were listening," Angel told him.

"But he always holds out on us," Amy turned to Angel before turning to the Doctor, "Please Doctor. We know Angel is your Mate, but she's my _friend_."

"And my Pilot, my sister," Rory nodded, "Tell us something. One little thing."

"It's mine," he said.

"What is?" Rory asked.

"The cot. It's my cot. _I_ slept in there."

Angel smiled and looked down at it, running her hand alongside the engravings on the side of it, his name written in the lost language of the Time Lords. Rory and Amy turned to look at the mobile though, hanging over it, covered in stars and other galactic bodies as the Doctor left.

"Oh, my God," Amy laughed, "It's the Doctor's first stars."

Angel smiled, when a thought struck her and she pulled out a small Prayer Leaf from her pocket, looking at Ayla, now sound asleep, before turning to Amy, "Here," she handed it to the girl, "You should have this."

"What is it?" Amy looked down at it.

"It's called a Prayer Leaf, Lorna gave it to me. You write the name of your child on it in the language of the Forest, it's like a bit of good luck."

"But…" she shook her head, holding it out to Angel, "Shouldn't _you_ keep it? Write Ayla's name on it or something?"

She shook her head, "We're forbidden to write our names in anything but Gallifreyan, it wouldn't work on the Prayer Leaf. Besides," she put it in Amy's hands, closing the girl's fingers around it, "You can use it if you ever get your Melody."

Amy smiled and took it, eyeing her a moment, "Is this one of your feelings?"

She laughed, "No. Honestly Amy I'm so _tired_ right now, I'm lucky I can even feel my own body let alone the future," she held out her hand and looked at it, "I'm so tired I can't even bring up the Vortex," she was so tired she was surprised she was even standing.

"Why don't you go in the TARDIS and get some rest?" Rory suggested, "We can watch Ayla till the Doctor gets back."

She was about to respond...when Lorna and Strax ran back in, "We've got a problem," she said.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sort of long note, but a lot of semi-important things in it :)
> 
> OMG! The cuteness of the baby scene alone nearly killed me! Are you squealing? I hope so :) And now that Angel JUST had the baby, she's not a Ganger, the baby's not a Ganger, so Kovarian doesn't have the real Ayla hidden away somewhere. But just...remember Utah :'(
> 
> I have to say, I know some of you may be concerned that Angel is 'forgiving him too quickly' or anything like that, given how she acts and how he acts in this chapter/episode. I can only say that Angel's pregnancy is at an end, her emotions are a mess, she's just given birth (and is the happiest she's ever been) and has her family back, she's safe...so it's really all of that making her more relieved than anything. She's not really experienced the 11th Doctor with his memories yet, so this is more a shock/relief moment for her, when it wears off...I can say there WILL be fluff, but there WILL also be tension and things that Angel and the Doctor will need to work out. If Angel forgives him, she won't be forgetting and she won't be able to just move on from what is happening. So her real reaction to things, once it all sinks in, will be coming up :)
> 
> And what did I say, can I plan things out or can I plan things out? lol :) All this time, right from the beginning, all those people Angel has been saving has been leading up to this moment…she's left quite the mark on others too hasn't she? :) Nice little tie-in isn't it? ;) I think I got everyone she saved in there, but if I missed one let me know and I'll add it in ;) I think, if the Doctor believed the Universe might 'shiver' if he died and that everyone would feel it...that if Angel (and the baby) were in such TRUE danger, they'd feel it and come to help :) That'll be a pretty big thing later ;)
> 
> As for the Doctor, I hope his reaction was believable in how Oncoming Storm he was to Manton and the army. I hope you also liked the family naming scene, I could just imagine them all arguing over names while the parents just shake their heads fondly at them lol :) And the water guns. I hope I scared you a little bit in thinking the Doctor really HAD asked them to use real weapons, I just thought it would be a good twist to show the army just how little of a threat the Doctor is, that he couldn't even ask them to kill the ones who hurt him so badly :)
> 
> I can say that there's a reason I named the baby Ayla as a human name, but I suppose we'll either find out in passing or not at all or somehow in another way just what that reason is :( And tomorrow...tomorrow we'll learn the truth about quite a lot }:)


	25. A Good Man Goes to War: A Loss

The Doctor paused before the doors to the communication room of the base, taking a breath, steeling himself for what the absolute _worst_ might be when he entered. He didn't want to be there, not at all, all he wanted to do right now was be with Angel and Ayla and hold them both in his arms...but he _had_ to do this, he had to see what they had done to his Mate and daughter and, apparently, the systems were locked and they couldn't get the information to transfer off the mainframe, so he had to leave them (as much as it pained him to do) and see for himself. And he knew, even without seeing the scans right at that moment, he would memorize every single aspect of it, every single word, because it was too important for him to forget like he did so many other things he came across.

Not this, this was about HIS family, and he would find out what, if anything (and there had BETTER be NOTHING), had been done to them. And if he found that Angel or Ayla had been harmed in _any_ way...well, he'd prove to Kovarian how dangerous he could be _without_ an army of his own, without people there to hold him back or stop him.

He took a breath, shaking his head and stepped into the room to see Dorium sitting at the controls, the scans up on the monitor, "You've hacked into their software then?" he asked, having asked the blue man to look for any hidden files Rory might have missed. The boy was searching for medical files, as they would have likely been the only ones he understood, but he wanted to know everything, every detail no matter how disgusting or heartbreaking.

"I believe I sold it to them," he replied with a roll of his eyes.

The Doctor just nodded, "So what have we learned?"

"That anger is _always_ the shortest distance to a mistake," Vastra replied from the back of the room where she was watching him.

"I'm sorry?" he glanced at her.

"The words of a shining old friend who once found me in the London Underground, attempting to avenge my sisters on perfectly innocent tunnel diggers," Vastra smiled.

"Well...you were very cross at the time."

"As you were today," she gave him a look, "Point taken, I hope?"

"They took my Mate and child!" he nearly growled, the anger back in full force when he so much as _thought_ about those six little words, "I think I have every right..."

"You do," Vastra cut in gently, not wanting to experience his wrath once more, "But you should _not_ let it consume you. YOU told me that," she reminded him.

HE had been the one to tell her that, ironically. It had been, she thought, before the man had learned his Mate was dying and had had all the hope and happiness in the Universe inside him. He'd told her that he spoke from experience, that all she needed was one person, even just one, to pull her out of the darkness that threatened to overtake her.

She had heeded their advice, been able to see it in their hearts, they were the last of their species too (or so she had thought of herself till the Doctor had taken them to a Silurian civilization below the Earth's crust and revived her hope for more of her species awakening one day). But they had had each other, and she had seen it...in his eyes, that darkness he spoke of, but then in Angel's...she'd seen a light to balance him. She knew the girl was the one who pulled the Doctor from his own darkness and had wanted that, and she'd found a girl of her own that did the same, Jenny.

"I was not the only one who noticed," Vastra continued, "Miss Smith..."

"Which one?" the Doctor joked, trying to push the anger aside, think of something happier.

Vastra smiled, seeing him coming down from his brief bout of rage, "Sarah Jane," he nodded, "She saw you slipping away, she was worried. I hope you realize, had Angel not arrived when she had..."

"Yes," he sighed, nodding as he closed his eyes, he knew _exactly_ what he would have done to Manton if Angel hadn't stopped him when she had, "I know, I know."

Vastra nodded, understanding that he got it, "Angel and Ayla are safe now," she added.

He smiled softly at that, thinking on his girls, "Yes, they are," and they always would be if he had anything to say about it.

"Now…your daughter…"

"What have they done to her?" he asked them seriously, getting back to point.

"They've been scanning her since Angel was taken," Dorium called, making them both look back at him, "From the womb it seems. And not just her, they were examining Angel as well. Looking for something," he pulled up another screen to reveal a string of DNA.

"Time Lord DNA," the Doctor frowned at it, shaking his head, "But...it's not quite right," he squinted, seeing the difference, " _Ganger_ Time Lord DNA," he corrected, realizing it was from Angel's clone.

Dorium nodded, "They've been examining it, it's near enough your species' DNA. It appears they've been testing it against any number of things, temperature, radiation, chemicals…trying to find the limits of it, it would seem…"

~8~

"I don't think everyone's gone," Lorna told them the concerns that she'd been telling Strax and that the potato had agreed with, "I've been here training, they were all _ready_ for the Doctor to come at _any_ time. We prepared drills, we had special weapons, we had different plans and strategies...but they just...left," she shook her head, "This all happened too easily."

"How do we know you're not just setting a trap?" Rory asked suspiciously.

Despite how she'd helped get Angel to the med-bay and despite Angel's vouches that Lorna was 'ok,' he just...he _couldn't_ make himself believe her completely. Ever since Ganger Jen and the mess that had been, he'd promised himself to be more wary of anyone who could be a possible enemy that offered them help. The humans had been wary of the Gangers, Ganger Jen had proved they had good reason to be, but he'd trusted her and so many people had nearly died because of it. The Original Jen herself had nearly died because he'd trusted her Ganger. He was NOT going to make that mistake again, until they proved it, he would be just a bit suspicious of everyone. He didn't care if that made him seem paranoid, he wouldn't treat someone else badly or openly distrust them, but he'd be...more cautious than he had been. He couldn't afford to trust blindly anymore, not with his wife and sister and niece to think of.

And given Lorna had been a part of the army that took Angel in the first place…well, that didn't sit right with him.

"Why would I lie?" Lorna frowned, though she understood where he might be coming from.

"Well, you might want to take a look at your uniform."

"The only reason I joined the Clerics was to meet the Doctor and Angel again."

"You wanted to meet them, so you joined an army to kidnap her and fight him?" Jenny shook her head, not following.

"Well, the Doctor's a legend. How else do you meet a great warrior?"

"He's not a warrior," Amy told her.

"Then why's he called the 'Doctor?'"

"I don't understand…"

"Doctor," Angel explained gently, "In the language of the Forest, means 'Mighty Warrior' like Ayla means 'Gift.'"

"And 'Angel' means 'Great Mother,'" Lorna nodded...

And then the lights went out.

"It's starting," Lorna looked around, startled, "Please _listen_ to me, Angel, you and your daughter _must_ get out of here!"

~8~

"Why would they be _testing_ her?" the Doctor frowned, looking at the _number_ of test results, all the different ones run.

It was like anything and everything that could be tested had. They'd even introduced samples to different diseases and poisons to see how it reacted. They had been testing Angel as well, learning about her biology, watching her, running scans on their child. He dreaded to think what they might have done to the baby during the time Angel was unconscious though he prayed that the feelings he got from Angel were right, that the baby had been protected even then by the Vortex and that she hadn't...missed something.

He knew they'd taken Angel, knew from her that they had wanted to stop him, probably kill him and he could understand using Angel as bait. But...Angel had said they DIDN'T want HER or him, but their baby. So why? Why did they want the baby? Why scan her so much if they weren't going to use her stem cells or cord blood or...and he shuddered to think...parts of her for something else? Why _scan_ her? Why take her in the first place?!

"Why else would you test someone for their strengths and weaknesses," Dorium remarked with a shrug, more thinking aloud, "For their endurance and abilities."

The Doctor looked at him, seeing Dorium had come to a conclusion he hadn't, "Why?"

~8~

"Confirmed," Strax read the results of his scanner, "No life forms registering on this base, except us and the Silurians."

"The Headless Monks aren't alive..." Lorna continued, "They don't register as life forms."

Angel tensed at that, recalling how she'd said much the same when River had gone into the sewers in the warehouse. She couldn't help but feel...afraid, truly afraid. She had been _so tired_ , the labor had taken so much out of her, that she was just...numb. It was like she could barely feel herself moving let alone feel the future. She had no idea what was coming, had no sensations, got no feelings, and that was...truly frightening.

~8~

In another part of the base, a Headless Monk quietly made his way up behind a Silurian that was guarding a hall...

~8~

"I think what we really need to focus on," Dorium avoided the question, swallowing hard, which made the Doctor frown at why he wasn't answering, "Is how they gave in so easily. Does that not bother anyone else? Or do you not take stock in the instincts of a coward? This is too easy. There's something wrong."

" _Why_ did they do it?" the Doctor turned to him, seeing that both he and Vastra seemed to know something he didn't, "Why test a Time Lord for...for all _that_?"

Vastra and Dorium exchanged a look before Vastra sighed, "A weapon," she suggested softly.

But he shook his head, confused, utterly confused, "Why would a _Time Lord_ be a _weapon_?"

"Well...they've seen _you_ ," she reminded him, "Just now Doctor, they saw the potential a Time Lord had in how you infiltrated the base, subdued the arm, handled Manton..."

"Me?" he asked, stunned, sitting down heavily on a crate.

"Can you imagine a _better_ weapon?" Dorium asked him, speaking what he and Vastra both feared, " _Your_ _child_ , the _one_ thing in the Universe you _wouldn't_ be able to fight or hurt or kill…"

"Mr. Maldovar, you're right," Vastra straightened up, seeing this was getting to the Doctor, that he needed a moment and, thinking on Dorium's words...it made sense, "This _was_ too easy. We should get back to the others."

"Me?" the Doctor breathed a moment after Vastra and Dorium left, still completely stunned by the thought.

He could understand that _he_ could be seen as a weapon, yes he'd done horrible things. He was a soldier as much as his daughter Jenny was, trying to stop the fighting, using what was at his disposal to do it. He was a fighter, a strategist, dangerous. Yes, HE could be a weapon...but _Ayla_? The girl was just a baby, had only been born an hour ago and she was just...so _innocent_. The way she'd clung to his finger, reached for her parents, her innocence in calling them 'Squishy Bed' and 'Warm Thingy,' he could see a bit of Angel's 9th self in her already. The girl was sweet and innocent and small and...good, _so_ good, so _pure_ , how could SHE EVER be a _weapon_?! How could someone like her ever even become one? He _refused_ to let it happen, he refused, his daughter would have the best life he could give her, full of hope and light and love and...

The monitor behind him turned on and Madam Kovarian appeared on it, "I see you accessed our files," she called, pulling his attention up to her, making him jump up and stalk up to it, a dark look on his face, "Do you understand yet? Oh, don't worry," she rolled her eyes, "I'm a long way away. But I like to keep tabs on you. The child then...what do you think?"

"Why did you take her?" he demanded, feeling himself starting to shake again as he was confronted with the woman responsible for the capture, for her and Angel being taken from him, his hands clenched into fists as he tried to calm but found he didn't want to, not at all, "Why did you scan her? What use is she to you?!"

"Hope," Kovarian's eyes narrowed, "Hope in this endless, bitter war."

"What _war_? Against _who_?!"

"Against _you_ , Doctor," she sneered.

~8~

A lift opened and a Headless Monk emerged, firing energy right from his hand, killing the Silurian on guard who had turned to see who it was.

~8~

Amy turned, willing to listen to Lorna's words now, and ushered Angel, who had scooped up Ayla into her arms, towards the TARDIS, Rory behind them with the cot...

When a glowing light appeared around it, cutting them off.

"What's that?" Amy jerked back as it suddenly appeared.

Vastra approached it slowly and reached out a hand to touch it, snapping it back when she felt the energy sting her, "Force field."

~8~

The Headless Monks gathered in the halls and began to chant as they made their way to the hanger.

~8~

Rory quickly set down the cot, on alert, as a loud clicking noise echoed through the hanger.

"And those are the doors...locking," Lorna swallowed hard, all of them tensing as they felt the danger mounting.

~8~

The Headless Monks formed a line as they walked past the bodies of the Silurians littering the ground.

~8~

Jenny ran back from checking the lifts which had shut down as well and shook her head negative.

"Apparently we're not leaving," Vastra commented.

And then they heard the chanting as the Monks drew nearer.

"Is that the Monks?" Rory asked as Angel tried to soothe Ayla who had woken up.

"Oh, dear God...that's the attack prayer!" Dorium's eyes widened.

Rory turned around the room, looking it over quickly, letting the door in his mind that he'd kept closed for so long fly open, needing all the military advantage he could get from his memories as a Roman, and nodded to himself, "Angel," he walked over and moved her closer to the force field. He didn't like the idea of hiding her around one of the crates, she would be defenseless and they wouldn't be able to see if she needed help and, having just given birth, he knew she'd be too weak to truly fight back, "Stay here, we'll protect you," he turned to the group who nodded, forming a semicircle around her and Ayla as they stood just a hairbreadth away from the force field.

"Commander Strax!" Vastra turned to him, seeing him fiddling with a device instead of preparing for war.

"I'm trying to seal off this area of the lighting grid," Strax remarked as the lights came back on.

"This is where we'll make our stand. Clear lines of sight on all approaches."

Lorna moved over to one of the larger crates nearby, frantically searching through them, "There should be some plasma pistols somewhere. They left everything."

"Then find them, boy!" Strax shouted as Amy went to help her, neither woman comfortable with using guns but...if they were about to be attacked...desperate times, and lives were on the line and, well, the Headless Monks weren't exactly alive right? They wouldn't be killing anyone, not really.

"We don't have to fight," Dorium said as he moved towards the edge of the light, "I'm friends to the Monks, they know me."

"Yeah, and they know you just sold them out to the Doctor," Rory commented.

"Oh, they'll understand. It's only me, only silly old me," he held his arms out wide as he turned to the light's edge as the shadows of the Monks became visible in the darkness, "You understand, don't you?"

"Mr. Maldovar, get back here!" Vastra shouted.

"Arm yourself, fool!" Strax called.

"Dorium!" Rory cried.

But he was too late, there was the sound of a sword slash and then something hit the floor, Angel winced, holding Ayla closer to her as she started crying at the bad noise.

"Mr. Maldovar?" Vastra called.

"Dorium?" Rory added, but there was no reply.

Lorna and Amy ran up, passing out the guns and taking some for themselves. They took their places in the semicircle, Jenny, Vastra, Rory, Amy, Lorna, and Strax as the Monks marched forward, swords glowing. A headless Dorium began walking towards them as well.

"The child!" Vastra gave the war cry, "At all costs, protect the child!"

Rory drew his sword in one hand, the pistol in the other as the rest took aim, preparing, none of them about to let the Monks anywhere _near_ Angel or her daughter.

~8~

The Doctor slammed his hands down onto the control base of the monitor in anger, shouting at Kovarian, "My child is _not a weapon_!"

"And that's just it," she smirked, "She's YOUR child, isn't she? Give us time and she can be. She _will_ be."

He glared at her, heaving as he struggled to breathe through his anger, "ANGEL's child could _never_ be."

No matter what, no matter how dark HE could get...Angel was always brighter. _Always_. She was always that light in his darkness, even when he'd forgotten her, even when he hadn't known who she was to him (a moment that made him _sick_ to think about), she had ALWAYS had an affect on him, always got him to see things differently, calm him, soothe him, push the darkness back. That little girl, if she even had a darkness in her...which he couldn't imagine because her eyes, her green eyes were so bright and innocent...she had a light too, she had Angel's light, and that would be enough to keep her from _ever_ being capable of the things HE had done.

"We'll see," Kovarian's smirk just widened.

"No, you _won't_ see," he sneered, "Because you've already lost her and I swear I will never _ever_ let you anywhere _near_ her or Angel again."

"Oh, Doctor," she laughed, shaking her head as though she were so amused, "We did it once, didn't we?"

"Fool me once, shame on you," he spat, "But there will BE NO fool me twice."

"And how would you know?" she eyed him, seeming far too pleased about something, "You didn't even realize you'd forgotten your precious _Mate_."

He stiffened at that.

"Oh we know ALL about it," Kovarian's smirk returned, reading his mind, "Aren't you curious how someone so _important_ and _dear_ to you just...escaped your notice for _so long_? It's simple really, we needed her vulnerable," she shrugged, "We needed her alone, without you to protect her and you...Time Lords...you _never_ leave your Mate far. We needed to change that."

"What..." he let out a breath, feeling his hearts stopping at that.

"I'm sure you're aware," she continued casually, "That information about the Silence erases itself over time if not refreshed?" she didn't wait for him to answer, "I must say, I _enjoyed_ refreshing this..."

The screen flickered and his eyes widened, seeing new footage playing...of a very familiar setting. It was the TARDIS, the last console room, and...Angel was there, HE was there, his _last_ self struggling to walk up the ramp. His breath left him as he realized what this was, his last moments as his last self but...why did it look like the camera had been stuck to the ceiling, looking down at them.

He watched, confused, as he and Angel spoke, as he gave her the Whitepoint Star necklace she still wore, as they shared a tender moment, as he kissed her...before throwing his head back in regeneration. He frowned, seeing something he hadn't noticed, hadn't remembered...his eyes were _wide open_ , staring _right_ at the camera, at the ceiling, fighting the regeneration...and then he heard it.

"Forget her, Doctor..." he heard a voice rasp, a _Silent's_ voice, but he didn't see one as the voice was coming from behind the camera, "Forget your Mate. Forget your love for the Angel..."

He felt tears fill his eyes as he realized...there had been a Silent on the ceiling of the TARDIS, that HE'd been _looking at it_ , had _listened_ to it, heard it in the TARDIS...and then the man on screen turned, the regeneration too much to bear, and spun to Angel, a new man, a man who had forgotten her.

He should have _realized_ , his first words to her, his first words TO HER, had been that he'd forgotten something important, he'd thought it was the crashing TARDIS, but it was HER. He'd felt things for her, his memories trying to break through, his feelings, the Mating instinct, but pushed it back because he was supposed to forget he was Mated to her. He had started to fall _in love_ with her again but hadn't made the connection because he was supposed to forget he loved her, forget what loving her was like...

"Your TARDIS even realized Doctor," Kovarian was back, her smirk impossibly wide, oh the plan had worked _brilliantly_ , the combination of his amnesia and another helping hand driving distance between the Doctor and Angel had given them all the opportunity they needed to get the girl alone, to get it so the Doctor wouldn't notice if she had disappeared or that she wasn't real. THIS Doctor, with his memories, would have noticed in an instant it wasn't the real Angel, and they couldn't have that, "An old, stupid _box_ knew before YOU did."

He frowned, feeling the tears falling from his eyes as he closed them, recalling how the TARDIS had been bucking violently after he'd regenerated. He'd thought, had guessed earlier, that the box had known he'd forgotten Angel, had been trying to 'kill him' so to speak by throwing him out the doors...but now he knew, Kovarian's words...the TARDIS had been trying to throw the SILENT out! All that time, the box had been trying to get the Silent out and must have succeeded because she stopped bucking. And then she had sparked and hurt _him_ because he had let himself be manipulated, the box had known he'd hurt Angel and had reacted much like Jack and Donna had, much like he knew the other companions wanted to as well. But the box knew it wasn't his fault and...

He stopped, his mind freezing.

It wasn't his fault.

Even _Angel_ had thought it might be, had feared HE hadn't wanted to be her Mate any longer. It had crushed her, it had devastated her, had made her feel like he regretted the bond they shared. And then to find herself pregnant and, for all the world cared, alone...she had suffered so much, broken down before his eyes, been kidnapped and dealt with things she _never ever_ should have that caused her such heartsbreak...

And it wasn't HIS fault.

He felt the fury rise up in him again as he looked at Kovarian, his eyes narrowed into slits, it was THEIR fault. It was THEIR fault he'd forgotten Angel, forgotten she was his Mate, had treated her so badly. Did they really have _no_ concept of how deep and how powerful his anger could run? And this was more than about them tricking him, this was about how they'd led him to hurt the ones he loved. His Mate, his daughter, his world!

And they would _pay_ for it.

If they thought he'd seek vengeance for simply taking them from him...they sorely underestimated how much he loved them.

"I will NEVER forget her again," he swore.

Kovarian laughed, "The only reason you didn't forget her watching that footage is you couldn't see the Silent," he stiffened, realizing just _how close_ he had come to nearly being forced to forget her again just then, "And besides, Doctor, that _wasn't_ what I was talking about. Making you forget again would be boring, repetitive, no, my employers are FAR more creative," he frowned at that, "Did you _really_ think you'd manage to get _everyone_ out of the base?"

Before he could even respond, a pain and fear and sorrow shot through him.

' _THETA!_ ' Angel's voice _screamed_ heartsbrokenly in his mind.

"Angel!" he shouted, running from the room, ignoring Kovarian as she cackled behind him, the screen switching off, "Angel!"

~8~

Angel tried to comfort her crying daughter as the sounds of fighting drifted to them, this was NOT what she wanted Ayla's earliest memories to be. She was torn between wanting to focus entirely on her baby and wanting to help the others. She owed them after all they had done for her and Ayla.

Rory and Strax fired at the Monks…

~8~

The Doctor ran as _fast_ as he could through the base, trying to get there in time…

~8~

" _Demons run when a good man goes to war…_ "

~8~

Vastra swung her sword at a Monk, Strax firing wildly, laughing as he did so, as Rory ended up pushed back to Lorna's side, Amy firing at one of the two Monks ganging up on Jenny…

~8~

" _Angels fall and lose it all, when a good man goes to war…_ "

~8~

Angel watched in horror as the Monks slowly drew the semicircle farther and farther apart…

~8~

" _Friendship dies and true love lies._ "

~8~

Lorna flinched when something blew up behind her as Jenny swung at another Monk, Rory quickly glancing around as three Monks headed towards him, forcing him back and away from the center of the semicircle where he had been the last one blocking Angel completely...

~8~

" _Light will fall and the dark will rise, when a good man goes to war._ "

~8~

"Angel!" the Doctor shouted as he ran, his heats pounding, his mind racing, just...feeling her utter devastation.

~8~

"Amy!" Angel cried as the girl took out a Monk, "Lorna!" she pointed.

Amy whirled around and fired at the Monk, who was aiming a blast at the young woman, taking him down. She ran over to Lorna, the two working together.

~8~

" _Demons run but count the cost…_ "

~8~

The Doctor ran over a platform, "Angel!"

~8~

"Strax!" Angel warned.

He spun around, blasting the Monk, who had lifted the sword about to strike him, back and running past it to fire at the others behind it…

~8~

" _The battle's won but the child is lost..._ "

~8~

Angel gasped as four Monks managed to make their way through the fray and towards her, "No!" she shouted, frantically trying to back up but the force field was behind her, "Get back!"

"Angel!" Rory tried to fight his way through, but their line had been broken, they were all being held back by the Monks around them.

"Angel!" Amy turned, firing at the Monks, but was overwhelmed herself.

~8~

The Doctor ran to a locked door, struggling to get through it, "Angel!"

~8~

One of the Monks reached out to Angel, for Ayla.

She tried desperately to bring up the Vortex but, for the first time, it failed her, her body was just too tired to sustain it, "NO!" she screamed as they _ripped_ the baby from her arms, another backhanding her to the ground before they ran from the room, the other Monks trying to follow as the small group of fighters went after them…

Angel curled up in a ball, sobbing, not even noticing the sting in her cheek as she wept, pounding the floor with a fist, ' _THETA!_ '

~8~

" _When a good man goes to war._ "

~8~

The Doctor flashed the sonic, his mind finally remembering in his panic that he had it, and ran through the door, "Angel! The Monks are still here!" he pounded on another door, "Angel!" the door opened and he ran into the hanger...

Only to see that a massive battle had _already_ gone on and been finished.

There were Monks lying on the floor, Dorium's headless body among them, as Vastra, Jenny, and Strax scouted the rest of the room.

He was too late.

It was over.

"Yeah, we know," Rory looked up from where he was standing near the TARDIS, solemn.

He blinked, seeing Angel on the ground before the TARDIS force field, sobbing brokenly as she huddled, curled up, beside Amy, who had tears in her eyes, and Lorna, who was crouched down with a hand on her shoulder, "Angel!" he ran over to her, skidding to the ground on his already soundly bruised knees before her.

Angel just launched herself at him, holding him tightly as she sobbed into his chest, needing comfort, needing her Mate, needing _him_ , "They _took_ her," she sobbed, her voice thick with emotion, her words halting as she struggled to breathe through the pain she felt, "I only held her...for an hour...and she's gone..."

Rory close his eyes tightly at that, he'd thought...for so long that the Angel in the diner, when she said she had lost the baby, that the baby had died soon after birth. And when he'd seen the baby was alive, seen the scans that it was ok, that it was healthy, seen it surviving (with him watching her closely) he'd thought...maybe something in the timelines had shifted. Maybe, somehow, they'd managed to change something. The Angel at the lake...he felt like, HER Doctor hadn't remembered, he couldn't have, why else wouldn't he have been there with her seeing how much THIS Doctor hated leaving her side. And if HER Doctor hadn't remembered but THIS Doctor did...maybe it meant the timelines had shifted, maybe it meant that they'd changed something and the baby would be ok, that Angel wouldn't lose the baby, that it would survive.

He _hadn't_ anticipated this.

He hadn't anticipated someone trying to _take_ the baby, physically take the baby. The baby really was...gone. His niece, Angel's daughter, she was just...gone. And he felt his heart break at that, at seeing the state Angel was in. If he'd SAID something before instead of listening to River, hinted, done something, they could have prepared for this. The Doctor or Angel might have devised something else from the Future Angel's words than he had, maybe THEY would have been more suspicious that the Monks were there or that there was some other plot to steal the baby. But he _hadn't_ realized, he _really_ hadn't, not till just then, that 'gone' could mean many different things.

Death was only _one_ interpretation.

The Doctor, though, swallowed hard, tears in his eyes as well as he clung to Angel, holding her as tightly as he could, trying to be strong despite how he could feel her hearts breaking, the utter torment of her soul as she _blamed herself_ for what happened. Her mind was racing, cursing herself for being so tired that the Vortex and her abilities had failed her, cursing herself for not being strong enough to fight, cursing herself for saving Lorna and Strax and not their child…

He gripped her tighter in his arms, "I'm sorry," he whispered, clutching her, rocking her, trying not to let the tears into his voice as he had to be strong for her, she _needed_ him to be strong, "I'm so sorry…I should have been here. I should have…" he swallowed again, shaking his head as his hearts broke too. He rested his head on hers, his cheek on top of her head as he took a shaky breath, feeling her shaking terribly against him. He pulled away only a bit, "Angel..." he reached out and took her face in his hands, "Look at me," he whispered as she forced herself to open her eyes, swimming with tears, "We'll get her back," he swore it, looking into her eyes so she'd know he meant it, "I swear it, I promise, we WILL get ber back," a hard edge came to his voice as she let out a deep sob, bowing her head and shaking it, more at the situation than his promises. He pulled her to him again, just...holding her, the sounds of her sobs, the sound of his Mate so distressed, eating away at him, closing his eyes at the pain he himself was feeling, at the thought that their daughter had been taken from them again.

The Silence thought he was angry about them switching his Mate for a Ganger?

They knew _nothing_ about him.

He would _tear the Universe apart_ for his family, and he would do so now…he _would_ get their daughter back if it was the _last_ thing he ever did.

There was a sudden bright flash of light and clap of energy behind them and _River_ appeared, dressed exactly as she had been during their time with Canton in America, exactly as she had been when they'd kissed, "Well, then, soldier, how goes the day?" she asked casually, a smirk on her face as she looked at the Time Lords, standing as though she didn't know what had happened, what they'd just endured, except they knew she _had_ to know...why else would she be there and ask _that_?

The Doctor stiffened instead, the glare he'd been about to send to River turning into alarm as he looked at Angel, feeling her literally want to _curl up and die_ against him at just the sound of River's voice. He looked down at her, startled at her reaction to River, to how entirely her hearts _shattered_ at the woman's appearance, and another barrage of memories hit him…but this time, not all of them were _his_ …

~oOo~

_The Doctor ran to the doors and actually had to struggle just a little to get them opened, reaching out a hand to pull River in…only for both of them to fall to the floor in a heap, River seeming to take a moment to spread herself over the Doctor and make no move to get up._

_"I'm not gonna be there to catch you every time you feel like jumping out of a spaceship."_

_"And you are so wrong."_

_"Oh, Doctor!" Amy teased, "You soniced her." ...she looked away a moment at that, playing it off as eyeing the beach._

_"Her diary."_

_"Our diary."_

_"The Angel…a Time Lady? His…friend," River's eyes widened a bit at her introduction as a small pleased smile grew on her face._

_"Is River Song your wife?" ...she swallowed hard as that hit her in the gut, every single time the Doctor denied it, denied how close they'd been, how much they had meant to each other, every time he denied that she was his Mate it just...stabbed her in the hearts, made them hurt to beat. She closed her eyes a moment, turning and pretended to look at a setup of equipment even more intently, moving slightly to the left so her back was just a bit to the two of them. It was the only way they wouldn't see the heartbreak in her face._

_"Yes, you're right," the Doctor muttered, and her hearts twisted painfully at the thought that he was answering Amy's question, until he continued._

_The Doctor mouthed 'sweetie' before realizing River meant him and turned to head after her, she watched him go as he didn't even protest at being called 'sweetie' or even hesitate to follow the woman, a difference from his earlier remarks of River not dragging him anywhere, a difference she was trying not to think about._

_It was just like the Library all over again. River truly was much better than her, smarter, braver, a much better match than she was for the Doctor. And that was what killed her, because the River in the Library was obviously very close to the Doctor, how close she could only guess though the fact she knew his name worried her immensely. But the fact that the Doctor didn't remember he'd Mated to her…it left him open to others. To River._

_"You're so his wife," Amy laughed. River though glanced at_ her _before smirking…_

_"I'm not saying you're right...but you are very good, and it's not like he's married," River looked over to see her, having glanced over at them, look away and walk off a little bit further._

~oOo~

_"I hate you!" River turned to the Doctor, sending him an almost playful glare, not seeming to notice his momentary anger directed at her._

_"The last time we saw her, she…she apologized to me for everything that she did to me...um, was going to do me, would do to me in the future," she rubbed her head, "Tenses," she muttered, "My future, her past. I don't know what she's done or will do or even why she's so cross with me. But…she seemed truly sorry for whatever it was in the end."_

_"River Song, I could bloody kiss you," the Doctor beamed._

_River glanced at her, seeing her wince and look away sharply out of the corner of her eye, and smirked, winking at the Doctor, "Maybe when you're older."_

_"Why do you hate me so much?"_

_"No one ever stood a chance with him because of you."_

_"It doesn't look that way from here."_

_River just smiled, pleased, "Good."_

_"You know," River continued, tilting her head as she eyed her critically, as though trying to see what was so...impressive about her and failing to find it, "You should have married him when you had the chance."_

_Her eyes widened in alarm, "You know about that?" it had been a private moment between him and her, with Donna and Lance there, how could River know?!_

_"You'd be surprised what I know," River smirked, "What he's told me," she glanced at the Doctor, "What he will tell me," she gave her a pointed look, "There are rumors, you see, that_ I'm _the woman who marries the Doctor."_

_"You, me...handcuffs," River smirked at him playfully, a far different smirk than the one she'd just been bestowed with. River held out her cuffed hands at him, her smirk turning to a sly grin, casting a small victorious look at her, "Must it always end this way?"_

_River smiled, "Oh, Doctor, aren't we all? I'll see you there."_

_"I look forward to it," the Doctor grinned._

_She winced and closed her eyes, the annoyance was gone now. It seemed the adventure, the excitement, how the woman had rescued them, had allowed River just enough time to become...interesting...to the Doctor instead of annoying._

~oOo~

_It was how she felt about herself every time River was involved. Every time she saw River...it just made her doubt herself all the more. This incarnation of herself, it had started out so...confident, but every time River came along...it was like the woman's mere presence just chipped away at that, made her feel like she was just someone standing at the sidelines, unable to contribute anything. And she hated that, she didn't want to feel that way, she didn't want to let it affect her like that. She tried, she tried to help but...River was smart and brave and resourceful and skilled and so many other things she wasn't._

_And every time the Doctor encountered River, he seemed that much closer to her, that much more intrigued by her, that much more noticing of the woman where as he barely noticed her at first. She didn't know how this would go, how it would affect the Doctor to see River again._

~oOo~

_The Doctor looked at her, shocked, "Angel please…I don't want to be alone."_

_She swallowed hard, her glance flickering to River for just a split second, "You won't be."_

_"Are you married, River?" the Doctor asked, handing back the Manipulator as well._

_River shot a glance at her as she winced at the question and how it could be taken, before turning a smug smile at the Doctor, strapping on the Manipulator as well, "Are you asking?"_

_She shook her head, not wanting to know how the conversation would go, not wanting to hear any of River's innuendo, and turned, entering the TARDIS quietly..._

~oOo~

_"Hippie!"_

_"Archaeologist…" ...she flinched at their little jibes, it was far too similar to how she and the Doctor used to toss 'psychic' and 'thief' at each other._

_River was very capable, very quick, very sharp and talented and handy in a dangerous situation. She was clever and daring and brave and able to handle herself. She was really rather impressive and quite lov...he blinked, realizing his thoughts were getting away from him._

_River ran out of the TARDIS, "They're Americans!"_

_The Doctor leapt up as some of the agents turned their guns on River, which made her wince as...well, one guard had been holding a gun to HER the entire time and he hadn't reacted, hadn't seemed to notice really, which she supposed was understandable, from his angle at the desk, but it still hurt._

_"I hate you," River muttered._

_"No you don't," the Doctor grinned, he was starting to find, for how much River seemed to love irritating him by calling him 'sweetie' he got just as much enjoyment out of irritating her._

_"And Dr. Song," he turned and leaned against a window to look at her, his back to her, "You've got that face on again."_

_"What face?" River asked._

_"The 'he's hot when he's clever' face."_

_"This is my normal face," she smirked._

_"Yes, it is."_

_"Oh shut up," though she couldn't help but laugh at the uncomfortable look on_ her _face before the Time Lady turned away._

_"Not a chance."_

_"Don't worry," River grinned, glancing at her before flirtatiously looking at the Doctor, "I'm quite the screamer. Now there's a spoiler for you!" she winked._

_The Doctor stood as she disappeared down the hole, a fierce blush on his cheeks, not even noticing her close her eyes and shake her head, before she turned away, moving to look at the room instead of the Doctor._

~oOo~

_She couldn't lie and say she wasn't uncomfortable with how close the Doctor and River seemed to be getting. It unnerved her how easily he got on with her now, after the Byzantium incident she'd noticed him becoming more amused and intrigued by River instead of annoyed with her as he had been._

_It was even worse because she could see into his mind, she could hear his thoughts about the woman, how they were changing, how they were growing just that little bit more…non-platonic. And that hurt her, badly, especially since all her instincts were telling her it was wrong of him, he was HER Mate, not River's…but he didn't exactly know that, he couldn't see it that way._

_She sighed, closing her eyes a moment, knowing she had likely missed her chance to tell him about them being Mates. With River there…she was afraid he'd think she was just jealous of River and making up stories. He might even spend more time with River as a result._

_"Oh, and this is my friend, River. Nice hair, clever. Has her own gun, and," the Doctor looked around at the Silence, "Unlike me she doesn't mind shooting people. I shouldn't like that," he turned to River, having to admit, "Kinda do a bit."_

_"7, really?" the Doctor remarked, actually sounding a tiny bit impressed._

_River smirked and leaned her head back onto his shoulder, whispering in his ear, "8 for you honey."_

_"Stop it…" the Doctor grinned, not looking at River though he seemed far too comfortable with her being so close…_

_"Make me," she said in a breathy way as she rubbed against his back._

_"Yeah, well, maybe I will," he actually…flirted back._

_She stepped out of the TARDIS…and her hearts shattered at the sight of the Doctor and River kissing before the Stormcage cell..._

~8~

He felt ill…no, he felt _worse_ than ill as Angel's memories raced across his mind unbidden but accepted. Their mental bond was back, it had never left but now he could connect to her mind once more, he could see _everything_ now. He could feel what she felt as she stood there, watching as River sunk her claws in him, being unable to do anything about it because she didn't know what she could do. He swallowed the bile rising in his throat as more memories hit the surface, of every single little look or remark or action River had dealt Angel that he hadn't seen, that had been less than kind, he'd seen some of it...but it appeared there were even more that he'd missed. And knowing that, knowing that he'd failed to protect his Mate...it killed him. But nothing twisted the knives in his hearts more than feeling her anguish at those memories of him being pulled towards River, at that last one in particular.

He looked down at Angel in his arms, shaking, and realized how _broken_ she really was by everything. _He'd_ broken her by forgetting her, the beautiful, confident, blooming woman she'd regenerated into years ago was now a trembling, insecure wreck in his arms… _he_ had done that to her. It was _his_ fault, he'd…he'd _hurt_ her, something he'd sworn _never_ to do.

' _Don't you DARE pull away from me Theta,_ ' she called in his mind, clinging to him as she saw his thoughts shift, ' _Not now._ '

' _But…_ ' he couldn't help it, the guilt, the pain, the knowledge that she had suffered so much because of _him_...

' _You're the 'Doctor.' Make it all better. Please,_ ' she let out another small sob, half-begging him, ' _Please make it better._ '

He nodded, kissing the top of her hair, he would, he would make it better, he'd make it all better, somehow. He looked up as Amy reached out and squeezed her hand…and he looked around, at the small group of six that had stuck by them, at the TARDIS, knowing that the rest of the 'family' would have stayed and been there and helped if not for their own assurances that it was ok to leave, at the hanger that had held a little more than a thousand people from all across time all come to help…and then landed on _River_.

His eyes narrowed into slits, his lips pursing as his body tensed instinctively, knowing this woman also had a hand in harming his Mate, emotionally and mentally if not physically, "Where _the hell_ have _you_ been?" he demanded, more angry at her than anyone else, "Every time you've asked, _every time_ , I have been there. Where the hell were you today?!"

He had been there, he had saved her, he had come when she called and helped when he could. Having no idea what he was getting into, but helping nonetheless. He had done what he could, more than he could, protected her even...and THIS? THIS was how she repaid him? Yes, he knew it was possible that all those adventures hadn't happened for her yet, she might not know the different ways he'd helped, but he couldn't help it, all he saw was River. No...all he saw was someone they had asked for help from, him, who rarely ever asked for help but simply wanted to give it instead, and had said NO. And now...he and his Mate were devastated.

So where the hell had she been? What had been SO important that the ONE time he asked for help, she refused?

"I couldn't have prevented this," River defended simply, not seeming perturbed by his anger.

"You could've _tried_!" he nearly spat, his nostrils flaring as he panted, trying his best to keep calm, Angel was still in his arms, he didn't want to let go of her to lunge at River and demand the answers from her, but it was getting _hard_. Having seen Angel's memories, all the little things River had done and said just to get to her, to _hurt_ her...he wanted nothing to do with the woman after this...after he got his answers and he damn well would get them!

"And so, my love, could you," she sighed as the Doctor's eyes snapped shut, feeling Angel wince at the endearment, and tightened his hold on her even more. River didn't even bother to glance at her, "You brought this on yourself and your Mate."

His eyes flew open at that, something hitting him, something he probably would have realized in the TARDIS had he been paying any attention at all to what River and Rory were speaking of given how angry the companions had looked watching the interaction before Rory returned. But he had refused, he hadn't wanted anything to do with River Bloody Song. So he'd just complained and ranted to Jenny and Amy instead, talking so he'd hear himself and not have to suffer through River's voice and claims of 'spoilers.'

If he'd listened, he might have realized...

He had broken Angel, yes, but River…River had beaten the girl down with her flirting and innuendo…and she _knew_! She _knew_ Angel was his Mate! If this was a younger version of River, then her older selves knew as well, if this was an older one...he didn't even have to wonder if her 'younger selves' had known, looking back on it, River always had some sort of comment or reaction that he realized now was her knowledge of the Mating, she had known even then. And she never said, instead she'd just flaunted herself in front of the girl, worming her way into their lives, wiggling her way closer to him…

His eyes darkened as his mind worked out _exactly_ why she hadn't mentioned the Mating to him either. Angel he could understand, memory loss was tricky, she technically HAD told him and he hadn't listened to her and so she'd thought that he wouldn't believe her if she tried again. Admittedly, it _had_ taken him all that time to even slightly believe AMY's claim that he was Angel's Mate before the memories returned. But this...this had NOTHING to do with his memory loss or timelines or spoilers or _anything_ …everything fell into place, her hatred of Angel, her victorious smirks thrown at the girl whenever he said anything remotely sweet to _her_ , her flirting.

Angel was his Mate, which was something River wanted to be, which was something River had tried to almost trick him into believing she was (well, not the Mate part, but someone equally as important to him).

The _only_ thing keeping him from lunging at her and wrapping his hands around that neck of hers was Angel's trembling and sniffles, her quiet sobbing as she tried desperately to calm down...so she could calm HIM down. And that reminded him that she needed him _far_ more than he needed to kill River for what she had tried to do. To manipulate someone with missing memories into a lie you wanted...it disgusted him, especially when others were hurt because of it. And the worst part was, he was absolutely sure there was even _more_ to it, to her plots, to her reasonings, to her hatred of Angel...

He looked at her with a dark anger that made her flinch and he realized something else as well...she knew he'd figured it out, "You think I _wanted_ this?!" he nearly snarled, "You think I wanted my Mate captured, my child _taken away from me_?! I didn't do this. This was NOT me!"

"This was _exactly_ you," River countered, "All this, all of it. You _make_ them so afraid. When you began, all those years ago, sailing off to see the Universe, did you _ever think_ you'd become _this_? The man who can turn an army around at the _mention_ of his name? Doctor? The word for healer and wise man, throughout the Universe. We get that word from _you_ , you know. But if you carry on the way you are, what might that word come to mean? Hmm? To the people of the Gamma Forests, the word 'Doctor' means ' _Mighty Warrior_...'"

The Ponds and the others tensed as they stared at the Doctor, seeing him getting more angry and more worked up the longer River spoke. Couldn't the woman see this was NOT helping at all? Everything she was saying...it wasn't working, it wasn't helping, and it wasn't even remotely something that he needed to hear. To Rory it seemed like River was trying to do what Angel did, get through to the Doctor with words, but this _wasn't_ like what Angel would say, Angel's words would be done with love, with concern, with feeling and empathy and kindness. She'd be gentle, make him listen to her quiet words and _hear_ her, not shout at him and contradict him and shove it in his face and almost...scold him. The Doctor could only be snapped out of extreme feelings by one of two things, an extreme moment or the barest of words, two ends of the spectrum. Something River hadn't seemed to grasp.

And she claimed to know him?

"How far you've come…" River shook her head at him, "How far will you go? How deep into that darkness inside you will you fall?"

"I _won't_ let that happen to him," Angel said shakily, her voice hoarse with tears, as she spoke for the first time since the Doctor had arrived, "I will _never_ let the darkness consume him. _Never_."

"So you claim," River spoke, her voice only barely not sounding like a scoff, "Others would say you truly are the light that guides him," she shook her head, making the Ponds wince at how much more narrow the Doctor's eyes had gotten at that slight against Angel, "But what happens when the light goes out? What happens when the Angel falls? It happened today and you were still alive," the Angel had fallen, she had failed to save her daughter, failed to keep the most important thing in her Universe safe, and because of that...the Doctor was suffering too, "What will happen to the Doctor if you're hurt? Who will stop him then?" she turned back to the Doctor, "They've taken your child...and they're going to try to turn her into a weapon, just to bring you down. And all this, my…" she cut off, seeing the absolutely _loathing_ look the Doctor shot her, "All this, Doctor...in fear of _you_."

The Doctor shook his head at her. Here, before them, was a woman from their future, one who popped up at the _worst_ times, brought them all manner of heartsache, dragged him deeper down INTO that darkness she was raving against. This was a woman he'd been _so desperate_ to know who she was, who she was to him, to them...and now...

He found he didn't care.

At all.

Not for her identity, not for who she was to him, not even for _her_.

The _only_ thing he cared about was Angel and finding their daughter.

' _Not without me,_ ' Angel whispered to him.

He looked down at her to see a fierce determination in her red eyes now, not a darkness, no, but a _protectiveness_ that only a mother could have, a protectiveness, he felt, she had _always_ had. He nodded and helped her weakly to her feet. He glared at River before glancing at the small group of six, "Vastra, Jenny, Strax," he nodded his thanks to them, "Till next time. Lorna, Rory, Amy, thank you, for everything."

He knew he had to leave, _now_ , quickly. Another moment with River and he really _would_ kill her. She came there, showed up out of the blue, hadn't bothered to help them save Angel, hadn't offered them a word of warning about Ayla, and now she was _scolding him_?! The nerve...to abandon the people who had helped you (or would help you) and leave them to suffering like THIS? Out of bitter jealousy?! He couldn't _stand_ it any longer and every moment there was another moment Ayla got farther and farther away from them.

"Doctor?" Rory called as the Time Lord flashed the sonic on the force field.

"Where are you going?" Amy shook her head.

"To find our daughter," Angel replied, stepping into the TARDIS, the loud humming within audible to all those gathered around the box.

"Strax," the Doctor's turned to the dwarf, the only one with transport besides him, ignoring River, "Get them all home and your honor is restored."

"But we can help!" Rory ran forward.

It was too late though, the Doctor had shut the door, locking it with the sonic.

Amy stepped back as the TARDIS lowly disappeared, "Where're they going?" Amy turned to River, she was someone from their future, she _had_ to know where they were going, she _had_ to! If she knew about the baby, about Angel being the Doctor's Mate, then she HAD to know where they were going or even...what happened to the baby.

Because the River they'd met hadn't acted _at all_ as though the Doctor was someone's father.

"Amy, you have stay calm," River put her hands up, trying to get through to the girl.

Amy just aimed the pistol still in her hand at her, "You didn't come to _help,_ the _least_ you can do is tell us where they went so WE can go help them!"

"Amy," Rory walked to her side, making no move to restrain her though.

He was _just_ as angry with River as Amy, if not more as he'd known about the child longer and he'd been the one to go try and recruit her himself. He felt betrayed, and now he knew the Doctor had as well, to have River openly call Angel his Mate, they all knew that the woman had known now. And what's worse...he knew that she knew about the baby, she had to have known, in Stormcage, what had happened to Ayla, and he could guess one reason she hadn't come earlier, besides not having wanted to help them...her words about Amy having another man's child, River didn't want to see the baby, to be around the Doctor and Angel with Ayla being born. But he maintained what he believed, the baby was innocent, no matter the parents, the baby hadn't deserved to be taken like that, who knew what Kovarian would do to her!

"It's ok," River nodded, "You're upset…"

"Upset?" Amy shook her head, glaring, "I'm not UPSET! I'm…I don't even _know_ the word for what I'm feeling right now. How _could_ you River?! How could you not come to help?! If you loved the Doctor so much you would have helped him no matter what! If you...no," she shook her head, "I want to know what happened to you River?" she looked at the woman, "I looked up to you, I thought you were amazing, the way you handled the Doctor, I wanted to be more like _you_...but _this_?" she took a breath, "This is NOT the person I want to be, that I'd turn my back on the man I claim to love."

"Where did they go?" Rory cut in, before River could answer, knowing how Amy's temper could get, not wanting a fight to start when they needed River to tell them what they wanted to know.

"I can't tell you," River replied.

"Why not?" Amy glared.

"Because I don't know," she supplied, "And even if I did...I'm sorry, but I can't let you go help them…what happens...MUST happen," she looked at them, "You'll _want_ it to happen."

"How can we trust a word you say?" Rory shook his head at her, unable to believe that she could _say_ that to them, tell them they'd WANT Ayla to be taken, "We don't even know who you are!"

"But you _will_ ," she said, looking down a moment. The Battle of Demons Run, she'd been told once, was the day the Doctor's companions found out who she was. She swallowed hard and looked at Amy, knowing that, even if they weren't ready, the timelines had to be maintained, "Have you been given the Prayer Leaf yet Amy?"

Amy blinked, eyeing the woman a moment, "What about it?"

"May I see it?" Amy hesitated a moment before pulling the green swatch of cloth from her pocket and holding it up. River took it gently from her and smiled down at it, "One day you're going to ask to have your daughter, Melody's, name stitched into this," she felt along the blank cloth.

Amy would have been thrilled to find she would have a daughter in the future too…but right now, she couldn't see what that had to do with anything, whether River was trying to stall or distract them or something, she just...she couldn't trust the woman anymore, "And?"

River just pulled out another swatch of cloth from her own pocket, holding it up to reveal and older, more worn, slightly stained, Prayer Leaf, identical to the new one in her other hand, but with stitching on both sides.

"What…" Amy shook her head, not able to wrap her head around how River could have that cloth, why she would have it.

"What's that?" Rory frowned, looking at the odd symbols on it.

"It's the TARDIS translation matrix," River explained, holding it up for them to see the symbols on the cloth, "It takes a while to kick in with the written word..." she trailed off, seeing Amy glance at the Doctor's name written on the side of the cot that had been left where the TARDIS had been, forgotten in the Time Lords' rush to get out of there and go after Ayla, and knew Amy was trying to see what it would translate too, "It doesn't work on Gallifreyan," River told her, and Amy knew she was telling the truth about that, the Home Box hadn't translated either. River reached out to take Amy's hand, pressing the older Prayer Leaf into it, "You have to _concentrate_. This is Melody Pond, in the language of the Forest."

"I _know_ what my daughter's name would be," she glared, she'd had it planned since she was a child.

"Except they don't have a word for 'pond' because only water in the Forest is the river…"

Rory frowned at the familiar words Idris had spoken as Amy looked down, watching as the stitching changed before their eyes, the word 'River' becoming visible on one side. Amy, with shaking hands, turned the leaf over to see 'Song' on the other.

"It's me. I'm Melody. I'm your daughter."

They could only look up at her, stunned.

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG! We know how/why the Doctor forgot! O.O I hope it made sense/was believable the reason why and also why he wasn't able to make the connection between what he was feeling for Angel and love (more about that in the note too) ;) But for here...the Doctor really WAS staring right up at the ceiling during his regeneration, his eyes wide open, and since the Silence seem to be telepathic, it would make sense HE would be the only one to hear the command and the TARDIS through him. And the TARDIS, yay, she wasn't trying to kill him! She was bucking to throw the Silent out the doors and the Doctor just got caught in the middle ;)
> 
> To tap into my inner psychic (if she exists) and answer some questions before they're asked lol...yes, I DID say that Angel held the baby for an hour and it was 'gone,' I didn't say it died in her arms, Rory assumed that and I didn't say anything to dissuade you from thinking that ;) Yes, I did say the baby dies...but I never said it was at Demons Run }:) Yes, River Song will still have her upbringing, yes she's still Melody Pond, but you'll have to imagine why till we get to it }:D No, Angel will not be able to move on from this instantly, she and the Doctor will have quite a lot to work out. But...yes, the fluff WILL be back, maybe not in the next episode in HUGE amounts (they just lost their daughter! and have no idea what's coming for her :'( ) but it WILL be there as they heal ;)
> 
> I think it's almost more alarming, what happened to Angel, than Amy in the show. To be holding your child and they disappear...as opposed to holding it and someone else physically ripping it out of your arms, knowing that you could have protected it better if you were stronger, and failing :( As though Angel doesn't have enough insecurities to worry about right? :'( I think it's also more impactful to the Doctor as well, having AYLA be the target for Kovarian, as terrible as it is to say...I really do think that, if worse came to worse and River was completely out of control and a danger to all...even being Melody Pond...he would stop her, forever. But his own daughter? I can't see him ever, under any circumstances, doing that. And a FULL Time Lord? Imagine one raised to be a weapon?! And they were afraid of the DOCTOR? But there's so much about that that may not even happen...the baby dies, River exists, how?
> 
> I know a few more questions will be brought up, especially about River, about why she said nothing to warn them of Ayla being taken, how she even knew, of why she hates Angel, when the hatred begins, how she exists with Amy not currently pregnant (believe me, the Ponds are JUST as confused lol), and many, many more, or at least I hope this chapter brought up more ;) And I can say quite a few will be answered in this particular story ;)
> 
> And, just to finish...next chapter will be the LKH prequel, the Doctor and Angel, in the TARDIS, listening to their companions trying to contact and check on them :(


	26. Have You Found Her?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really quick, I know the last chapter ended saying this would be the prequel to LKH, and it is, BUT! I've added MORE than just the Ponds here. I DID say I'd be bringing in the old companions ;)

The console room of the TARDIS was dark, barely any light on, the TARDIS unnaturally quiet, as solemn and devastated as her Pilots were, feeling the enormous pain her thief and sister felt. The phone rang three times but no one answered, the old box herself barely seeming to have the spirit to move her rotor, the light from it dim, casting an eerie glow around the room. It wasn't right, it made the once vibrant and warm and life-filled room seem cold and empty and dark.

There was a beep as the answer phone picked up, "Oh!" the Doctor's voice echoed through the room, "Blimey, ok…you probably leave a message at the tone or something. Sorry, I wasn't really trying to do this, I was looking for the BRAKES!"

There was a beep, cutting off the oncoming crashing noise that would have inevitably followed whatever attempt the Doctor had been trying for, as the message began to record...

~8~

"Doc!" Jack shouted, a frantic quality to his voice, "Angie?! Answer the phone! Please, pick up! Red and Beaky...they just told us what happened, Angel...Doctor answer the goddamn phone!"

"Jack calm down!" Gwen's voice spoke in the background.

"Calm down? Calm down?! HOW!? Gwen my _goddaughter_ was just _kidnapped_!"

"I knew we should have stayed there," Gray murmured, guilt saturating his words. Of all of the Torchwood team, he had always been the best at divining what the enemy was up to, seeing other motives, guessing their next moves, but this time...this _one time_...he failed and now Angel, his sister, was hurting.

"You couldn't have known Gray," Tosh tried to soothe him.

"It's not like you're psy...OW!" Owen cried as a slapping noise was heard.

"Will you watch your words Owen?" Ianto hissed at him, knowing that Angel, the _psychic_ , would be hearing this, and hearing that 'if a psychic had been there it wouldn't have happened' was NOT the best thing to say AT ALL.

"Will all of you shut up?!" Jack cut in.

"Jack if you don't calm down and stop _yelling_ at us I will take my gun and ram it..." Gwen began.

"Guys!" Rhys, of all people, cut in, a soft murmuring sounding, the sound of children playing in the background, Anwen and Tosh and Owen's son, Dylan, with her, "You lot bickering isn't helping any is it?"

There was silence a moment.

"Angie _please_ ," Jack whispered, "Answer the phone, please, we just...we want to know if you're ok."

"We're going to find her," Gray promised, "We will."

"We've got Torchwood operating at maximum efficiency," Tosh added.

"We're not gonna stop," Gwen agreed, "We'll work 24/7 if we have to."

"But we'll get her back," Ianto spoke.

"You'll have your little ankle-bit...OW!" Owen shouted again, "Will you stop smacking me?"

"Oi!" Rhys cut in again.

"Look, Ang," Jack was back, "No matter what, we'll get her back, we'll find her again. We won't stop till we do."

"We just wanted you to know, we're here," Gray said quietly.

There was a click as the phone call ended.

~8~

"Angel I am SO sorry!" Mickey cried, "Jack got in touch with Martha and me and..."

"Give me!" Martha took the line, "Angel, Doctor? Are you there? Are they there?"

"No," Mickey sighed, "I got the answer phone."

"...they've got an answer phone?"

"Martha, the call?"

"Right, Angel, Doctor? Are you ok?"

"Look, Jack told us what happened, but don't worry, 'cos we'll get her back, ain't no one going to take my niece and get away with it!"

"My niece too," Martha reminded him.

"But we're here, if you need us, we're here and we're trying."

"Yeah, we've gotten ahold of all our contacts, I've gone back with UNIT and they're all onboard."

"We're keeping an eye out and the second there's a transmission or anything, a blip or something, about Ayla, we'll call you."

"And if you want to stop by, we've both got hugs for the two of you waiting, just...come see us."

"And if not, 'cos, you know, you're probably busy, but...just know that you're not alone, you've got all of us and we won't stop till we find Ayla again. You both made us better, made us stronger, so...you be strong too. We won't give up."

"We won't, we swear, so just...take care of yourselves and don't lose hope, ok?" there was silence, "Ok...bye."

The phone call gently came to a slow beep.

~8~

"Don't you DARE tell me you're alright!" Donna's voice snapped, "Don't you dare try your special sneaky Time Lord code with me Spaceman. 'Cos I know what's happened and if you lie to me I swear I'm gonna hunt the TARDIS down and give you a bigger slap than last time! I know you must be devastated, and I know Supergirl probably isn't feeling all that super..." she trailed off, her voice getting quieter as her rage diminished.

"I could feel it, you know, that pit in my stomach. I should have _known_ not to leave you," she sighed, "Don't know what I could've done to help, but...I'd still be there. And I AM here. If you need me, I'm here Spaceman, Supergirl, I'll always be here for you, like you were for me. So...go out there, you go out there and you _find_ that baby and you bring her back to meet her old Aunt Donna properly."

She sighed again, "She had to go and get the Doctor's hair though, didn't she? Couldn't be ginger? She'd be the youngest member of Gingers United!" she gave a small laugh, "But...serious now, it'll be ok. I know you don't believe me, I don't believe me either, but...you two...if you stay together, stick to each other, heal each other...you'll be ok. It'll be ok. I can tell..." she sniffled.

"I'm not sure if it's a feeling Angel, or if I'm just hoping but...you both taught me that, to hope. So I'm tellin' ya, you hope and you keep standing strong and you'll find her. I know you will. And when you do...for God sake take that bowtie out of her hair!"

There was a moment of silence before Donna sighed and the phone call ended.

~8~

"Mum? Dad?" Jenny's call echoed through the room, "It's Jenny. Uncle Rory told me about AJ," it was her name for Ayla, her own little name for her little sister. She didn't know if they'd call her Ayla Smith or Ayla Jones or even Ayla Harkness, and she liked AJ better. She hadn't gotten to use it though, "Mum, dad, I...I'm so sorry," she started to cry, her soldier training breaking down, they had lost a daughter, she had lost a sister and even though she'd only gotten to hold the baby a minute at her mother's insistence, wanting to take a picture with her, making her feel more like their daughter that she was in the picture of just them and her and Ayla.

She loved that little girl SO much already!

"I should have been there, I should have seen that the army gave up too easily and just...stayed with you. Some soldier I am," she sniffled, "I could have done something, protected you mum, like you and dad protected me. I'm sorry I let you down. I just...I can't believe this happened. But don't worry, dad'll get her back, and you will too. I've seen you two together, the amazing things you've done. You've saved so many people, me included, and I know you'll save her too."

There was another sniffle, "I'm gonna look for her, Cline can watch the settlement for a while, but I'm gonna look, I'll go to the Judoon and the Sontarans, any soldiers I can think of. I'll get them to help, I am dad's daughter, I can talk them round, and I'm your daughter too mum, I can get them to _help_. And if you find her before me...call me, please, I'll be there in an instant. I'll help you. Just...call me, please."

Silence.

"I love you," Jenny finished, before a click sounded.

~8~

"Doctor?" Sarah Jane's message picked up, "Are you there? It's funny, I didn't know you had an answer phone. I suppose it's understandable, Angel always answered the phone the second it rang," she trailed off, "I just wanted to say how sorry I am. After all these years, facing aliens, with you and without you, I didn't think this would happen. And that's just it isn't it, this wasn't aliens this time, it was us, it was humans. We always were the trickiest. And I'm so...sorry for that."

She sighed, "You and Angel, you've done so much for us, protected us, saved us...and I know it must hurt that the humans you fought to protect have done this to you, to have made an army and organized for this all to happen. But it's not all of us, it was a small number and the rest of us, all of us, we'll help you. Whatever you need, whatever you need us to do, wherever you need us to go, please...all you have to do is say the word and we'll be there, we'll do it. We made our way through space and time for you once, we'd do it again in a heartbeat."

"I've got Mr. Smith running scans," she added, "He's sent out beacons and messages to every ally we've ever made, asking them for help. And I think they'll give it, they'll watch for Ayla, and they'll spot her. They have to. Not even you could disappear like that Doctor, just...vanish. They're out there somewhere and we're all looking, we'll find her. You always ask us to trust you Doctor, so this time...trust us. Trust me when I say...we'll get her back."

She went quiet a moment, "And please know...I really am truly sorry. Please, let me know if there is _anything_ I can do to help either of you. Goodbye."

The answer phone beeped as the message ended.

~8~

"Doctor?" Amy's voice called.

"Angel?" Rory asked, more frantic than his wife, though sounding a bit more distant, clearly Amy was the one actually on the phone with Rory beside her, "Angel are you there?"

"Can you hear us? Are you _ever_ gonna hear this?"

Rory scoffed, "He didn't know he had an answer phone Amy."

Amy gave a little laugh, "Point taken," before she returned to the message, "How can you be so clever and so completely stupid at the same time?"

"Look," Rory cut in, "If you get this message…please just pick up the phone. _Please_. We just want to know if you're alright."

"Don't get confused, we're not invisible or trapped in a space ball or something," Amy added, not wanting them to worry and become distracted, they _had_ to be worried enough as it was, "We're just talking on the answer phone. So just pick up the phone. Really, pick up."

"You went to find Ayla," Rory breathed, "Did you find her? We know how much she means to you, she…she means a lot to us as well."

"Yeah! We're her Aunt Amy and Uncle Rory! We love that little girl."

" _So much_ ," Rory agreed, "It's crazy how much we care about her already."

"And we know you're worried. River wouldn't tell us _anything_ about her, if she even knows about her," she sighed, "River...Doctor...River is _our daughter_. But how does that even _work_? I'm not pregnant and..."

"That's not really the point of the call Amy," Rory reminded her, a note of warning in his voice that likely had made Amy wince, remembering who had JUST been pregnant with a girl of her own.

"Right," Amy sighed, "Look…we're both worried so please, phone us back when you know something. Anything."

"Please Doctor, _please_ ," Rory said softly, "Angel means a lot to me and...I just...I want to know that she's alright."

"So call, ok? Alright bye."

"Bye."

The phone clicked off as the message ended.

~8~

The Doctor bowed his head as he stood in the dark TARDIS console room, leaning heavily on the console, his eyes tightly closed as he hunched over, listening to the various messages that played. He had been lucky, that HE had been the only one to hear them when they were made. He knew they all meant well, they were family checking in, offering help and sympathy and hope...but they were spaced out. They kept calling, they kept bringing it up with each and every call, it was a reminder that Ayla had been taken, that they'd come so close and lost even more. He was thankful Angel wasn't there to hear them.

He wasn't sure if it was her sensations or her intuition that had her not in the room when the calls came in...but whatever it was, he was grateful for it. He'd rather it be HIM to hear it than her. Things were...not good. Not good at all. He was shaking at the moment, feeling the utter pain and torment his Mate was in as she tried (and failed) to get some sleep as he'd ordered since she hadn't been getting much of it recently, neither had he really. They just...they weren't doing well. It hadn't gotten better, it hadn't lightened at all, nor would it ever he knew, it just got worse, day after day, knowing what had happened and not knowing what to do. Every single day was a knife in their hearts, every moment just...pained.

Their daughter was gone, taken by their enemies, ripped out of Angel's arms when she was at her weakest. And they had been searching for her ever since, what felt like endless searching, searching they would never every stop until they found her again. But every time, every lead, every stop, every hope was just...crushed, time after time because...

No, they hadn't found her.

The TARDIS wasn't bonded to Ayla, it couldn't find her through space and time like it could when the emergency programs were activated to protect the Pilots. Trying to search the whole of space and time in the entire Universe...not even the TARDIS could see that specifically. The Universe was a BIG place, space and time even bigger, even more complex, even more infinite. To find one person in the whole of all space and time...it was impossible. But they tried, they tried so hard, they just...they wanted her back, their daughter, their baby girl.

Angel had tried as well, everything she could think of to find Ayla, but she couldn't see that far despite the girl being closer to her than anything in her hearts save him. There was nothing she could sense or see or feel that helped. She didn't have any feelings about any planets, about any tips, about any random buttons or locations or anything that might point them to where Ayla was. And that killed her. She had always been the one to get them exactly where they needed to go, and she was failing. Psychics couldn't see everything, she couldn't see where Ayla was, she couldn't sense the girl's future...which had terrified them to think, maybe she couldn't sense their baby's future because...because she didn't have a future.

They refused to think that.

Ayla had to be out there, she had to be alive, they had to find her, they just...they HAD to. This was truly the most devastating thing they had ever encountered, worse than Angel seeing her sister killed before her or him forgetting her, worse than him having to time-lock the planet only to have the Daleks continue to return. Truly the worst thing ever. And they were scared, they were truly, truly scared of what the Silence and Kovarian would do to their daughter, what she would be used for, what weapon she might become if...if she even survived whatever that process would be.

They refused to think that too.

He shook his head and looked at the console, then up at the rotor as the TARDIS hummed sadly around him, in what was probably a sad, apologetic, disappointed way. He knew the box was likely upset with herself that she couldn't be more help. But he'd seen it in Angel's mind, the TARDIS hadn't known if he'd remember, the Silent that had been in there, the one that had made him forget Angel...it had had a slight effect on the TARDIS in that sense. As he had been ordered to forget her and had, the TARDIS hadn't been able to see if he'd remember because, in his mind, under the Silent's suggestion, he really hadn't remembered, everything had been blocked and no one had broken through a Silent's power yet.

He let out a breath and made his way around the console once more, flying the box into the Vortex again, trying to find another lead, another planet to look into, another people that could help. He just...he HAD to do this, HE had to find Ayla. He had already failed his Mate in forgetting her, he had failed his daughter in not being able to protect her, he had failed the TARDIS in letting River anywhere near them...he couldn't fail this too.

This was the only way he could make it up to them all and to himself.

He just...he wanted his family to be whole again, he just wanted his daughter back.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> D': I know this chapter's pretty short :( Since it's a mini-sode/prequel the promised 4,000 words minimum thing doesn't apply, but it IS about 2500 words longer than it originally was though ;) I just really wanted to add in the other companions, I can't believe NONE of them would have still had the TARDIS number and that they wouldn't call up and try to reach out to the Time Lords after finding out what happened :( And I know this is a bit Angel-lite, but I wanted to take a little look at the Doctor's thoughts about it all since we've seen so much of Angel's angst :)
> 
> Not much fluff here, I know, but it IS coming ;) And we'll see Angel's thoughts on the Silence being the cause of the Doctor's amnesia very soon along with the Ponds reactions to/an explanation of River :)


	27. Let's Kill Hitler: Mels

Amy sat in the passenger's seat, holding a makeshift map of squiggles and designs as Rory sped through a corn field in the old beat up car, "Ok, left, sharp turn," she screamed a bit as Rory did just that, "Ok, right, no, no, no, I mean left! No, sorry, right, right, I definitely meant right!" she grabbed the side of the car as Rory cut the wheel at the last second, "A loop-de-loop!" she shouted and he turned them in a giant circle, "Stop. Stop!"

Rory slammed on the brakes, hard, and they ended up in the edge of a giant crop circle with the TARDIS parked a few feet ahead of them, the Doctor, now in a long green coat, leaning against the doors. Already they could tell that something was wrong. He was paler than he had been, his face longer, small bags under his eyes, his entire body seemed to be sagging under some sort of weight and he wasn't smiling at all to see them.

But despite that he stepped forward, holding up a newspaper that read 'Leadworth's Crop Circles,' dated for the next day, and pointed at it as they got out, "Seriously?" he looked at the paper where they'd spelled out 'Doctor' in script in the cornfield, the second O being the circle the TARDIS was sitting in.

"Well, you never answer your phone," Rory countered.

They were desperate. They'd been calling for months! _Months_! And they didn't even know if it had been months for the Time Lords or only a few days or a few years or anything! He was getting worried, Angel ALWAYS called him back. _Always_. No matter what, she called him back and she hadn't and he was worried about her. It wasn't like her to do that and he doubted that the Doctor would be able to hide the calls from her. He just needed some assurance that she was at least ok and hadn't been hurt before he went out of his mind! He could understand now, what Amy must have felt, when she had been waiting for the Doctor all those years, though her wait was in hope and excitement, his was in fear and concern. He had barely talked about little else with his wife besides the fate of his niece, _their_ niece, had been in contact with Sarah Jane and Mickey and Martha and Donna and Jack and all of them every day to see if any of them had had any luck. He searched through history books on the all-too-slim chance that maybe there was a mysterious baby there that could help. But all he found were references to past companions, like a young girl who had been honored and then banished by Queen Victoria and others of the like.

But nothing about Ayla.

And he'd heard nothing from Angel.

"Ok, you've had all summer," Amy walked over to him with Rory, trying to look for Angel behind him but seeing no one else with him, which did little to settle her own nerves about it all, "Have you found her? Have you found Ayla?"

She and Rory had decided to give the Time Lords some time to look for their daughter before contacting them in this way. They wanted to help _so badly_ , but they knew this was a hard blow to deal with and that the aliens likely needed to be alone just for now. And then...to find out that River was their daughter too...that wouldn't have been a good time for them to be there. The Doctor needed to calm down from his anger towards the woman and it would have hurt Angel to hear that her companions had a daughter while hers was lost, that her 'brother's' daughter hated her. They'd kept in contact, or tried to, calling whenever they could. But after three months with _no word_ from them at all about how it was going, they were getting antsy and worried.

But the Doctor's grim expression said it all.

No, they hadn't.

"How's Angel?" Rory asked, concerned.

"How are you both?"

"Fine," the Doctor answered quickly, clearly, though, he was not, "We're always fine."

Rory scoffed, "I doubt that."

He knew what that meant, for a Time Lord to say they were 'fine' or 'alright,' he and Donna had had a _lengthy_ discussion about it when she got to talking about the baby. It was like she'd sensed that _he'd_ known about it longer, a bit of Angel's intuition there, and they'd talked about how she always claimed she was 'fine.' It was a lie, well, not technically. Technically she WAS fine, alive and healthy. But in the sense he'd meant it, she wasn't being truthful. It seemed it was something she'd picked up from the Doctor. Apparently it was special Time Lord code for 'not being alright at all.' If it had been his child taken…he'd be a _wreck_. And, with everything that Angel had been through, she couldn't be faring as well as the Doctor claimed. His thoughts just grew more concerned as Angel had yet to appear. The Angel from before all this would have leapt at him and hugged him the moment the doors opened.

The Doctor tensed and turned to Rory with a hard look in his eyes, "I can take care of my Mate, Rory."

"You've done a bang up job so far, haven't you?" Rory shot back.

"Rory!" Amy gasped, completely shocked at the harsh words her husband had doled out.

Rory just squared his shoulders, unwilling to let them knock him down about this.

Angel was important to him, probably the second most important woman in his life. She was his Pilot, but more than that, she was his friend, his sister, she understood him, treated him like he was just as important to the group. They had depended on each other, supported each other, had a bond like Amy and the Doctor had, and he _wasn't_ going to let anyone, not even _the Doctor_ , stop him from making sure she would be ok, "I'm sorry Doctor, but…Angel's special, she's important…"

"You think I don't know that?!" he glared.

"She's like my sister, I don't want to see her hurt and…" Rory took a breath, "I don't _trust you_ with her."

The Doctor seemed to deflate at that, stunned into silence to hear that one of the companions' faith and trust in him had been shattered like that. Trust was so important, so special, he always asked others to 'trust him, he's the Doctor,' and it was important that they did so. They listened more, were careful, did as they were told when they trusted you. To know Rory didn't anymore...it hurt. He glanced at Amy to see that she still had it, in her eyes, trust for him, which was only a small relief. As terrible as it was to say...at that moment...Rory's trust meant more to him, he was Angel's 'brother,' her family. Amy was too, her sister-in-law it appeared, but _Rory_ was her companion, her own 'doctor' that had helped with the pregnancy when HE hadn't, the man who had protected her when HE'D gotten distracted. To find that Rory, the man who probably worried and cared for Angel (almost) as much as he did...didn't trust him with her any longer...it killed him.

"I know it wasn't your fault that you forgot her, it was the regeneration going wrong or something..."

"It wasn't that," he cut in quietly, letting out a breath as he rubbed his face, "There was a Silent in the TARDIS when I was regenerating," he looked at them to see their shocked expressions, he knew Angel had told them some theories she had about it, but he hadn't gotten the chance to tell them what he'd learned at Demons Run, "It gave an order when I saw it, to forget Angel was my Mate, to forget I loved her," he swallowed hard, "I couldn't stop it."

"How do you know?" Amy asked, before wincing, realizing how that had come out.

"Kovarian took a great amount of pleasure in showing me the video feed they'd taken of it," he remarked darkly, glaring at nothing in particular at the memory of it.

"I'm sorry Doctor," Rory shook his head, "But it...it doesn't change anything, not to me, because…you still _hurt_ her," the Doctor winced, he knew it wouldn't change anything, all it meant was it wasn't his fault he'd forgotten, but it still was HIM that had hurt her, his actions, his words, his thoughts, "I want to be here for her incase that ever happens again. And I know Amy does too. Your daughter was taken from you. That's _got_ to be killing the two of you, so please, let us help."

Amy smiled softly, watching her husband. This was probably the most he'd ever stood up to the Doctor, save punching him when the Universe ended that one time. She had to admit, she was rather proud of him and very, _very_ impressed. He really had grown so much since they'd first started travelling, gotten so strong and, as sad as she was to admit that she hadn't had the biggest hand in it, it was mostly because of Angel and her faith in him. And she would always be thankful to the girl for that, Rory was happier, more confident, and she could see it now, realized how much that meant to him to be seen as that and to feel that and she made sure she always told him what she thought of him, how amazing he was.

But before the Doctor could...speak the door to the TARDIS opened slowly and Angel stepped out, looking slightly worse for the wear. She looked tired, dark shadows under her eyes, pale, thinner than when they'd last seen her. Despite being back to her typical outfit, her short-sleeved, flowing tunic style dress, they could see she'd lost the baby weight, probably had done an awful lot of running in trying to find Ayla. Maybe lost a bit too much as she looked smaller, but they couldn't tell if it was because the last time they'd seen her she'd been so big that she just looked it but really wasn't it.

"Angel…" Rory quickly rushed over to her, hugging her tightly as Angel clung to him, just...needing a familial hug. The Doctor hugged her all the time but sometimes there were moments where you just needed your brother or sister to give you a tight hug too.

The Doctor watched with a small frown as Rory hugged Angel, not an upset frown, not jealous, but...disappointed in himself that Angel was still unhappy, but then again he was too. Rory had been right, their daughter's kidnapping, not knowing what Kovarian and the Silence were doing to her, now knowing if she was ok...it was upsetting and devastating and terrifying. He looked on as Rory pulled away only slightly to look at Angel's tired face.

Rory stared at her a moment, the two of them looking as though they were having a silent conversation with their eyes, Angel's pleading, and he shook his head, "I won't ask," he promised, hugging her again.

The Doctor closed his eyes at that, at how Rory had just...known what Angel was thinking. She hadn't wanted him to ask if she was ok, if they'd found Ayla, if there was any lead he could help with. She knew about all the companions calling them and asking about Ayla, about them, and...it just kept reminding them that...No, they hadn't found her yet. No, they didn't have any leads. No, they weren't ok. That should have been the obvious question _not_ to ask, they'd just lost their daughter, how, in any Universe, could they _ever_ be ok?!

And Rory had known not to ask either question. He could remember it now, how he'd thought about all the time Rory and Angel had spent together, how jealous he'd gotten, but now...he was thankful for it. Rory and Angel talked, Rory had been there for her, Angel hadn't been as alone because of the man. Rory understood his Pilot and that was an amazing gift.

Rory squeezed Angel once more and pressed a small, platonic, brotherly kiss to the top of her head, trying to offer her all the comfort he could and looked at the Doctor to see he wasn't angry about the move like he feared the Time Lord might be, but just seemed...sad.

"I want them here too, Doctor," Angel said quietly to the Doctor as Rory stayed at her side, his arm around her shoulders as she hugged herself, "They've both…" she swallowed hard, "They've both helped me through tough times, me and...and Ayla. They can help me now. Help us both."

The Doctor nodded, knowing what times she was talking about, the only times she _could_ be talking about, "Ok."

Rory gave him a nod of thanks, the Doctor returning it, when Amy walked over to put an arm around the Time Lord's shoulders, squeezing it, trying to comfort her Pilot the way her husband was comforting his. She glanced down at the paper in the Doctor's hands, squinting at something on it she hadn't noticed before, "Hang on…" she took the paper and looked at a line cutting right through the writing on the corn, "What's this bit?" she pointed at it, "That wasn't us."

The Doctor snatched the paper away as Rory and Angel looked over, watching the Doctor move around the circle, trying to spot the right direction, Amy following him as Rory and Angel stepped up, "Uh…no I don't…" he frowned, holding up the paper when they heard an engine rev. He lowered it to see a bright red corvette speeding towards them, "Ahhh!"

Rory and Amy ducked to the side as the Doctor grabbed Angel to him, pulling her in the opposite direction as the corvette seemed to be almost gunning for her before it squealed, spinning in a circle, _just_ missing hitting the edge of the TARDIS as it came to a stop.

The Doctor panted as he looked up from where he'd fallen, Angel on top of him, his arms locked around her. By rights it should be opposite, he should have fallen on top of her given how he'd pulled her, but...he'd twisted mid-fall, not about to let her be hurt ever again if he could help it. He'd rather it be him and his back that landed on the small rocks scattered in the field than her. He looked into her eyes, seeing her panting and shocked, she clearly hadn't seen the car coming, and reached up to brush a lock of hair behind her ears, "Are you alright?" he asked, tightening his arm around her, not about to let her move till he knew.

She took a breath and swallowed, nodding, "Are you?"

He just smiled gently at her, his hand moving from her hair to her cheek, stroking it with the back of his finger, "As long as you're alright, I'm alright."

"But are you hurt?" she frowned.

He leaned up, brushing his nose to hers, speaking the truest words, "Not when you're around."

She gave him a small smile at that, he'd been...very sweet lately, it was almost...weird, almost...wrong. She hated to think that she'd gotten so used to him ignoring her and not complimenting her or looking at her like he was that she just...wasn't comfortable with it. It wasn't that, no, she _loved_ those moments, lived for them, they were really the only good thing she had left to cling to since Ayla had been taken. But...in a way, it felt, wrong...and she didn't want to say forced but...this was STILL the Doctor that had regenerated, this was STILL him, and he was acting so differently it was like she couldn't reconcile the two versions of him she encountered. She was...worried...that maybe...maybe this was forced on his end. It had been SO long since he'd looked at her like that, been sweet on her, that it was just...she never expected it and when it happened she found her first thought being...why? Instead of knowing it was because he loved her and he genuinely worried for her.

She was afraid he was trying to force himself to be more like...

A door slammed shut, cutting off her thoughts. They looked over, Angel slowly pushing herself up and helping the Doctor up as well, the two of them turning to see a young, black woman, probably about Amy's age of 22 or 23, with very red nails, long black braids, wearing black boots, black tights, a pink and black dress and black leather vest step out of it. The woman took a step to the Doctor and looked at him intently, making him frown. Not because she was staring, well he wasn't very fond of THAT either, but...because Angel had squirmed at the woman's focus on him, had hugged herself and looked away, a _far_ too natural reaction to other women showing an interest in him he realized. She'd developed it after they'd met Amy he saw, he remembered her looking away whenever River or Amy flirted with him, whenever another woman got too close...like, if she couldn't see him flirt back, then it wasn't happening.

And it _killed_ him that, despite remembering, Angel still reacted that way, as though she were just...waiting for him to turn his attention on another woman and flirt with them instead of focusing and flirting with HER. So he reached out and took the hand closest to him, lifting it to his lips as he kissed it, smiling at her gently, giving her a wink that managed to get a little smile on her face.

"You said he was funny," the woman cut in, for some reason now SHE was the one crossing her arms, her eyes narrowed at the Doctor before she smiled flirtatiously, "You never said he was _hot_ ," she slunk up towards him, touching his chest with a grin and a smoldering look in her eyes.

But the Doctor just side-stepped her, moving closer to Angel, wrapping his arms around HER instead, her back to his front, hugging her over where she was hugging herself, resting his chin on her shoulder, "I'd rather have divine than hot," he whispered in her ear, the tip of his nose ghosting over her cheek as he spoke, smiling to himself as he felt her shiver, not even noticing her stiffening.

"Mels!" Rory shouted as he and Amy got up and headed over to the woman, both out of surprise at the sudden appearance and to try and distract her from the Doctor.

Mels could be...very forward and even more flirty than Amy was. That was NOT what the Doctor and Angel needed, another woman trying to nab him, especially considering that they hadn't really spoken to Mels since before the wedding when she'd turned down the invitation and the woman had NO idea the Doctor was taken...though it should be obvious right at that moment given how he was holding Angel, who, admittedly looked a bit startled that he was holding her so close.

"What are you _doing_ here?" Amy demanded.

Angel frowned, unable to help looking at the woman intently...there was...something about her...

"Following you," Mels replied, turning to Amy instead, Angel blinking as she felt the Doctor seem to breathe a sigh of relief in her ear and relax against her, "What'd you think?"

Rory glanced over at the car, "Um, where did you get the car?"

"It's mine…" they could hear sirens in the distance, "Ish."

"Oh Mels, not again," Amy sighed.

"You can't keep doing this, you're going to end up in prison," Rory remarked.

"I don't think it'll be for stealing," Angel murmured quietly, still looking at the woman.

"And who are _you_ supposed to be?" Mels demanded, a bit of snap in her tone as she turned to face Angel, her eyebrow raised, hands on her hips, "A space cowgirl?"

"That's the Angel," Amy whispered to her.

Mels eyed her closely, as though trying to see what was so great about her and finding her...lacking, something that made Angel tense, she'd only ever really seen one other woman look at her like that before, "Huh, you were right Amy, definitely _not_ as impressive as him," she smirked at the Doctor, now eyeing HIM up as well.

Angel blinked and glanced at Amy who shot her an apologetic look, mouthing, 'we were kids,' and she nodded. This was before they travelled together, during the 12-14 year gap where they hadn't seen her again. She could understand everything from Amy's point of view during that time, especially with how they started out travelling together, how the Doctor had acted around her, no one who saw them would have thought they were together at that point. And besides, she couldn't exactly disagree, she knew she wasn't as impressive as the Doctor, few people were, if any, certainly not her...

' _No,_ ' she heard the Doctor's voice _agree_ in her mind, ' _Not as impressive…_ ' she looked at him, sensing more to his words, ' _MORE impressive,_ ' he leaned his forehead to hers, feeling her shake her head slightly, and he could see it, she was smiling, small though it was. And he knew why. He'd been speaking to her more in her mind now than he had when he'd regenerated, not that he knew he could. After nearly three years of silence, she still hadn't quite gotten used to him speaking in her mind again.

He nodded to himself and looked at Mels, "So! Hello," and then to Amy and Rory, "Have to admit, Doctor not following this, Doctor very lost. You never said I was _hot_?"

Angel let out a rather small laugh, shaking her head at that. He tried to do that too, the last few months, make her laugh. It didn't really work, he didn't do it often as they were both far too focused on finding their daughter again. But whenever he saw her getting upset or near tears once more, he would try some sort of joke. It sometimes managed a small laugh from her, but not much more. It was nice though, to know he cared, that he wanted her to feel better even when he wasn't feeling great himself.

"Is that the phone box?" Mels pointed at the TARDIS, rushing past them towards the blue box, grinning widely, they turned, the Doctor letting go of Angel as they moved to watch her curiously, "The bigger on the inside phone box?" the Doctor pointed at her, not quite sure how she knew that or who the woman even was, as she pressed herself up against it, looking at it, "Oh, time travel," she turned to lean on it as the Doctor walked cautiously over to her, "That is just brilliant!" she beamed up at him leaning against the corner of the box, across from her, looking at her with a frown as Angel watched, "Yeah, I've heard a lot about you. I'm their best mate."

" _Friend_ ," the Doctor corrected instantly, wincing when he saw Angel wince out of the corner of his eye, knowing her mind had immediately gone to all the times he'd done that, said 'friend' instead of 'mate' but this _wasn't_ the reason why he said it now, "There's only one sort of Mate around here," he told her, "And it's NOT a friend," he looked at Angel, hoping for a smile, but he settled for the relief in her eyes that he wasn't using it in the same context.

No, from here on out, 'Mate' meant MATE, meant her, meant what she was to him, everything.

"And if you were their best friend, then why don't we know you? I danced with everyone at the wedding."

"Not everyone," Angel added quietly, unable to really classify what they had done as dancing, not compared to the way he had been with everyone else, he'd really danced with them, had fun, enjoyed himself but when it had come to her he was more awkwardly holding her as they shuffled.

The Doctor winced at the memory, he felt like a different person after having regained his memories of her. It was hard for him to believe he was that man who hadn't even thought to really show her a fantastic time and truly dance with her at the wedding. He was very tempted to cross his own timeline and take her back to that night to get a proper dance out of her, one where he could hold her closer and feel her hearts beating against his chest and her breath on his neck and her warmth and...but he couldn't. That was too dangerous and he knew they'd both rather spend the time trying to find Ayla again.

"Which is just as well," Angel mumbled, trying to joke a bit, "You're a rubbish dancer," just like he hated seeing her sad, she felt the same for him.

It was...the biggest relief of her life, to find out that the Silence had been behind his amnesia, and not something HE had wanted for himself. It had truly terrified her to think that, maybe he had WANTED to forget her, that he had regretted being with her in the end. She already felt she was inadequate, she wasn't clever or exceptional or beautiful and she only...she only ever really felt that way when the Doctor was around. Like humans could look at her and think she was great just because she was an alien and could travel in time. But to have _the Doctor_ , someone who knew exactly how brilliant their people were, for him to look at her like that, with that sparkle or a compliment, it made her feel like maybe she _was_ amazing and brilliant because HE, the most amazing and brilliant man on the planet, thought she was. To find out that a Silent had been behind it, that the Doctor had essentially been FORCED to forget her...it just meant he didn't want to forget her, HE hadn't WANTED to, he'd been _made_ to. And that actually...made her a bit sad. What would their adventures with Amy have been like if he had remembered her? She supposed she'd never know.

He smiled at her, thankful. He'd noticed during the last few months that things sometimes slipped out of her before she could stop them, comments about the last few years, comments he knew she had likely been keeping in. She knew how guilty and horrid they made him feel and always tried to turn it around, put a positive spin on it, like the angel she was. He cleared his throat, "The women were alright, the men were a bit shy."

"I don't _do_ weddings," Mels turned away, walking a few steps when she heard sirens closer, "And that's me out of time," she suddenly turned, grabbing Angel, and pulling her close, aiming a gun at her head, her nails digging into the Time Lady's arm enough to actually scratch her as she hissed in pain, "Oh, sorry love," she mocked, "Uh uh," she tugged her back as the Doctor started towards her, cocking the gun and he stopped, a look that was a cross between fury and fear on his face because he knew...Angel wouldn't use the Vortex to hurt someone, not even a human with a gun to her.

"Mels!" Amy shouted.

"For God's sake…" Rory's eyes widened.

"What are you doing!?"

"I need out of here now," Mels shrugged.

"Where?" the Doctor asked, his jaw clenching as he tensed, a hard edge to his voice as his eyes remained locked on Angel's.

"Let's see…you've got a time machine, I've got a gun. What the hell," she grinned, "Let's kill Hitler."

~8~

_A long time ago in Leadworth…_

_Amelia Pond opened up a box where she kept all her Raggedy Doctor and (mostly Rory's) Golden Angel crafts and toys, a younger Mels opening the other side, her hair in two cute buns, "Is he hot?" Mels asked her._

_Amelia pulled out a small model of the TARDIS, "No, he's funny."_

_"And what about the other one?" Mels asked as she pulled out a Raggedy Doctor doll and moved to sit on Amelia's bed with it, absently playing with it, making it dance and things with a smile, "That girl?"_

_"I dunno," she shrugged, pretending the model TARDIS was flying, "She was sort of quiet, didn't really do much, I think she's psychic though…"_

_"What, like she can see the future?"_

_If that was true...think of how much that could be stopped! All those nasty old wars the teachers always talked about in school! All those bad people that could be foiled if they had warning enough! And think about all the fun you could have! You could win the lottery or become famous, be in the right place at the right time, get people to trust you by saving their life, they'd owe you! You could make them do what you wanted! Think of all the battles you could win yourself if you knew what someone else was going to do!_

_"Well they can travel in time so why not see time too?"_

_"But how can he travel in time?"_

_"'Cos he's got a time machine stupid."_

_Just then a little boy with light brown hair ran in, "I thought we were playing hide and seek," he pouted, looking at them sadly, "I've been hiding for hours."_

_"Well, we just haven't found you yet," Amelia shrugged._

_"Ok," he sighed dejectedly, turning to leave to go hide once more, trying not to believe that the girls had forgotten him, they couldn't have, it had been Mel's idea to play! Granted...Mels didn't always seem fond of him, usually she looked a bit annoyed or exasperated, and...sometimes he saw her looking at him with a narrow-eyed look when he hadn't done anything. Girls were weird, "Hi Mels."_

_"Hi Rory," Mels rolled her eyes at the boy._

~8~

_A middle-aged woman stood before a board of a school classroom filled with young children, with information on the Titanic written on it, "Mels did you not understand the question? I'm asking you why the Titanic sank?"_

_"Because the Angel didn't see it happen and get the Doctor to save it," Mels replied, crossing her arms as she looked at the teacher, "Except you don't know about them because you're stupid."_

_That got her sent to the head teacher's office._

_Amelia had ended up waiting for her outside it till she left, the two of them walking through the playground, "Why are you always in trouble?" Amelia sighed, "You're the most in trouble in this whole school except for boys."_

_"And you," Mels quipped._

_"I count as a boy."_

_"Am I getting warm?" Rory called out, feeling blindly out, wearing a blindfold for the game Mels had suggested he play with them._

_"Yes Rory…" Mels called, exasperated._

~8~

_"Mels…" a male teacher in glasses asked the now teenage Mels in the classroom._

_"A significant factor in Hitler's rise to power...was the fact that the Angel didn't sense it coming and warn the Doctor to stop him," Mels replied, getting sent to the head teacher's office once more._

_"I can't keep doing this," Amy called as Mels left the room, walking past where she waited for her friend._

~8~

_Amy peeked through a small panel in the door of a prison cell to see Mels sitting there before the guard opened it and let her out, "Mels!" she shouted, running after her friend as she just sauntered past with a grin._

_Mels had always been a bit...wild. She didn't know why, she and Rory were quite calm. Well, SHE could be wild too, but never so much as Mels and it always made her feel like she couldn't be that wild because she had to stop Mels from being that wild. She was starting to think it was all her stories about the Doctor and all his adventures. She'd described the man as a madman, energetic, wild, everywhere, and just...fun, an adventurer. It seemed Mels had taken that literally when they'd both promised as children to one day grow up and travel with the man. More and more she was starting to think Mels was trying to be like him, despite having never met him._

_And...there was just something...off about it all. The way Mels acted, it was a bit like she remembered the Doctor to act, but...in a very different way. Where the Doctor was more of a...controlled madness, Mels was just...wild teenage madness, a madness that just...she didn't know. It had this...quality to it, like...there was something deeper there that wasn't quite...right. Mels' moral compass didn't ever really seem to point north, she had no qualms with stealing (like she'd mentioned the Doctor had stolen the TARDIS) or disappearing for days or weeks and running away (like the Doctor) or being rude (like the Doctor). But where he was playful...she was always more...serious in a way, sometimes...a more hurtful way. She was sometimes really rude and biting to Rory, and she knew, growing up, she'd hurt the boy's feelings quite a lot. She was honestly surprised that Rory stuck around given how short Mels could be at times._

_She just...she didn't know why Mels was like that though, and she didn't know what she could do to help her calm down a bit. She got this...vague sense that Angel had had a lot to do with the Doctor not being like that, being as...serious or even...dark...as he could be. Like she balanced him. She tried her best to be a balance to Mels, but...it just wasn't working._

_But she was her best friend, so she'd stick with her to the very end...and hope it didn't land them both in prison or dead._

~8~

_"I was late, so I took a bus," Mels complained as she plopped down on Amy's bed that night, playing with the model TARDIS, Rory sitting in a corner of the room as Amy paced._

_"You stole a bus," Rory remarked, ever the voice of reason._

_"Who steals a bus?" Amy agreed._

_"I returned it," she defended._

_She couldn't help it, she was a natural thief, she always had been. She just...she liked the challenge of taking things that other people had, usually the things they cherished...it was MUCH more challenging because THOSE items were often the most protected and the most worth it to take. She always ended up giving it back though, just the thrill of getting it in the first place without the owner even realizing was enough of a reward, but there was one thing she was determined to nab for herself and keep forever though she was pretty sure Amy would fight her for it._

_"You drove it through the botanical gardens," Rory added._

_She smirked, "Short cut."_

_"Why can't you just act like a person?" Amy walked over to her, "Hmm? Like a normal, legal person?"_

_"I don't know. Maybe I need a doctor," she shot a flirty smile at Amy._

_Amy snatched the TARDIS from her and paced again, "Stop it," it was almost weird how much more Mels focused on the Doctor and brought him up than even SHE did. And SHE had been the one who actually MET him._

_"Um, I better go," Rory called, shifting uncomfortably, as he always did whenever their beloved Doctor was brought up, it bothered him how it was ok for them to go hours talking and thinking about the Doctor but if he tried to ask about the Angel or theorize on her, Mels would snap at him or push the conversation back to the Doctor. It was like it was ok to talk about the man, but not his friend, and that wasn't right, he was sure that the Angel was very interesting, "I'm on earlies tomorrow."_

_"Ok."_

_"It's alright for you," Mels continued as Rory packed up, "You've got Mr. Perfect keeping you right."_

_"He's not even real. Just a stupid dream when I was a kid," she tossed her the TARDIS as Rory moved to leave._

_"No," she caught it, "I wasn't talking about him," she looked pointedly at Rory as he reached the door._

_"What Rory?" Amy asked as Rory stopped dead, terrified, "How have I got Rory?"_

_"Yeah…" he turned, just knowing where this was going, whenever Amy wasn't there and he ended up around Mels, few times though they were, Mels LOVED to tease him about his 'obvious' feelings for Amy, "How's…how's she got me?"_

_"He's not mine."_

_"No. No, I'm not hers."_

_"Oh come on," Mels looked between them, "Seriously it's got to be you two," Amy looked at her, "Oh, cut to the song it's getting boring."_

_"Nice thought, ok, but completely impossible," Amy shook her head._

_"…yeah!" Rory nodded, "It, um, impossible."_

_"Yeah, I'd love to. He's gorgeous, he's my favorite guy," she patted his back, "But he's…you know…"_

_"A friend," Rory said at the same time Amy said, "Gay," they both looked at each other._

_"I'm not gay," Rory shook his head._

_"Yes you are."_

_"No…no I'm not."_

_"Course you are, don't be stupid. In the whole time I've known you, when have you shown the slightest interest in a GIRL?"_

_"Penny in the air," Mels murmured._

_"I mean, I've known you for what, ten years? I've seen you practically every day. Name one girl you've paid the slightest bit of attention to."_

_Rory just stared at her, as he had been doing the whole time, with his mouth open, before bolting out of the room._

_Amy watched him go a moment, confused, before it hit her. She gasped, pointing at herself, "Oh my God! Rory!" and ran out after him._

_"And the penny drops!" Mels grinned, getting up._

_"Rory!"_

_"Catch you later," she tossed the TARDIS on the bed, "Time boy."_

~8~

The TARDIS was whirling through the air crazily mostly because Mels, in her excitement, kept trying to touch the console, which sparked and jerked as though trying to keep the girl away from her. Which made Angel frown as she'd only ever seen the box have that sort of reaction to one other person but...maybe it was just that the girl had threatened her, had held a gun to her. The old girl was very protective of her, she didn't like when anyone threatened her or made her unhappy or hurt her.

And it didn't seem like Mels was very happy that the box of her dreams wouldn't let her fly it...

Angel gasped, looking up from the other side of the console, through the rotor at Mels, "No, don't!" she shouted, moments _before_ a gunshot rang out.

"You shot it!" the Doctor cried, staring at a bullet hole in the rotor casing as he ran around the console to it, "You shot our TARDIS!" he looked at Mels, holding onto the railing by the steps where she had stumbled back as the TARDIS jerked, wanting her FAR away from the console, Amy and Rory grabbed onto the console, the lights now red, steam rushing from the hole, "You shot the console!"

"Hang on!" Angel called, pulling a lever, frantically trying to get the box under control and calm, the angry humming was not reassuring that her attempts were working, which was understandable, "It'll be alright Sissy! Just hold on!"

"It's _your_ fault!" Mels shouted at the Doctor, waving her gun around.

"Ah!" he turned from where he had been trying to help Angel to glare at Mels, "How's it MY fault?!"

"You said guns didn't work in this place. You said we're in a state of temporal grace!"

So what harm had their been in firing a gun that wouldn't do any damage at the box that was just being a right old cow at the moment! Honestly! The things Amy had told her about the blue box, it was wonderful and magical, so why be mean?! It wasn't like she'd done anything...except grab that Angel girl and threaten her a bit. But she was still alive wasn't she?

"Doctor!" Angel gasped as sparks went up.

He turned the moment she spoke, turning his back on Mels and rushed back to the console, to Angel's side, helping her pilot the injured box, "Oh that was a clever lie you idiot," he shouted to Mels though he didn't look up at her again, "Anyone could tell that was a clever lie."

He reached out and took Angel's hand as it reached for a lever, squeezing it tightly a moment, his thumb running over the back of her knuckles, reassuring her the TARDIS would be fine as they rushed to prepare for what was undoubtedly going to be a crash landing.

~8~

A Nazi walked down the halls of Hitler's office building in Berlin, 1938, past a janitor as he mopped the floor behind him, unnoticing the janitor stop and mechanically turn its head to watch him go. Inside the janitor, however, were a number of tiny people sitting in an advanced control room, operating the robot that was, in fact, the janitor!

"Ok, we like him?" an older man who appeared to be in charge asked as he observed the man walking down the hall through a monitor connected to the eyes.

"Costume wants to know about the suit," a young woman called, pressing a headset to her ear.

"Just color and shape don't need anything detachable."

"Musculature good to go," a young man added, heading to his station.

"Oh, that's quick."

"They're showing off," he remarked as an older woman walked in through sliding doors, "Art department want to know about skin tone."

"Yes I do," the older woman rushed over to his station, "I don't trust the sensors. I want to take a look myself."

"We're in a hurry, we're not trying to win an award."

"Yeah, that's what you said when you made Rasputin green!"

"Ok, get your fat one up there," the captain called as the woman turned to leave, "Run."

"Yes captain," she ran out, into the lift.

The captain sighed and sat down, "Harriet is going to eyeball, everyone else, good to go. Please."

~8~

The man who had been observed was standing in an office, going through a filing cabinet. He pulled out a paper just as the Robo-janitor entered, shutting the door behind him. The man looked up, "What do you want?"

The robot didn't answer, simply walked over to him.

The man sighed, putting the paper away and turned to face him, "What are you _doing_?"

~8~

"Musculature online," the young woman reported.

"Five foot eleven confirmed," the young man added, getting a reading off his reports and putting in a code.

~8~

The Nazi watched, startled, as the robot grew taller before his very eyes to match his height.

~8~

"Harriet are you up there yet?" the captain's voice came over a comm..

Harriet, the older woman, was standing in the lift when the green button on her wrist device turned red. Alarms started to blare as the door opened and jellyfish-like robots entered, "Hello, you are unauthorized. Your death will now be implemented."

"Harriet have you updated your privileges?"

"Yes, of course I have," she fiddled with her wrist device, rapping it a bit till it turned green again and she held it up, "Look! I'm staff see. Look! Staff!"

"You are authorized," the robot conceded, turning to back out, "Your existence will continue."

~8~

"I don't understand," the Nazi shook his head, watching as the robot shifted into a number of tiny squares rippling down his body, until he was looking at the janitor wearing his _exact_ outfit.

~8~

"Harriet shift!" the captain shouted.

"Five seconds to eyeball," she replied, running down a corridor. She hit a panel on the wall, turning it green and a circular, metal shielding spun open, allowing her to look out the eye of the robot, "Shades 44 to 89, peaking at 60. Standard density. He's sweating a bit so compensate."

~8~

"But…what _are_ you?" the Nazi breathed.

~8~

"All hands prepare for tessellation," the speakers called as Harriet walked back through a series of glass tubes, "Prepare for tessellation."

~8~

The Nazi watched as the janitor's face morphed...into his own, sans the glasses he wore. He stepped back in fear, shutting the filing cabinet draw as well. The thing before him stepped up and reached out, taking the glasses right off his face and putting them on stiffly.

~8~

"Ok," the captain sipped some coffee out of a mug as he watched through the monitor, "Clean up!"

They watched as a light shot out of one of the robotic eyes and struck the Nazi, shrinking him down and teleporting him to his very own glass tube. He appeared on the monitor, lying on his stomach as he looked around in shock.

The captain stood and walked closer to the monitor, eyeing the Nazi, "Who is he?"

"Erik Zimmerman," the young woman replied, "Loyal member of the Nazi party. Guilty of Category 3 hate crimes."

"Well then," the captain smirked, "Leave him to the Antibodies."

~8~

Erik stood up and tried to walk down the tube...when there was a whoosh behind him. He turned to see a robotic jellyfish rise from the floor, "Welcome, you are unauthorized, your death will be implemented."

He turned and ran around a corner, only to see another approaching.

"Welcome, you will experience a tingling sensation and then death."

He turned once more and tried to run the other way but another cornered him, "Remain calm while you life is extracted."

He ran back and screamed as one of the Antibodies struck him.

~8~

Robo-Erik stepped into the office of none other than Adolf Hitler and shut the door behind him.

"What do _you_ want?" Hitler asked, looking up from where he'd been writing something as Robo-Erik faced him, "Who let you in here?"

~8~

The captain rolled his eyes as the command room shook with the force of the robot walking, spilling his coffee all over the floor, again, "What's wrong with the shock absorbers?"

"Problem in the knees," the young man reported.

"Let's hope we don't have to run," he grumbled.

~8~

Robo-Erik moved to stand before Hitler at the desk as the man sat back, "Do not call for help," he stated, his voice empty, no emotion at all, robotic even, "This room has been sound screened. You have been found guilty. Justice mode activating."

Robo-Erik opened his mouth wide and a blue-white light shot out of it, hitting Hitler, making him tense in pain.

~8~

"Hang on, this is _1938_!" the young man called, his eyes wide as a warning flashed on the small screen before him, "We're too early, we need to go later in his time stream."

"Something else," the young woman called as her own computer beeped repeatedly, "We've got incoming."

"On screen," the captain called, standing up. The robot stopped and they could hear a wheezing noise, "What the hell is _that_!?"

~8~

The TARDIS crashed through the window of the office, knocking Robo-Erik to the ground, the people inside him jolting at the impact, before lodging itself into the back wall of the office. The Doctor opened the door, holding a hanky over Angel's mouth as he ushered her out first, not bothering to cover his own mouth as he fretted over her, calling back to the others, "Out, out, out! Everybody out!" Rory and Amy ran out behind them, followed by Mels, "Don't breathe the smoke just get out!"

"Where are we?" Amy gagged.

"A room."

"What room?" Rory asked

"I don't know what room, I haven't memorized every room in the Universe yet. I haven't had time recently have I?!" he snapped at them, unable to help it.

It was a combination of things really. Another gunshot had gone off in the TARDIS and Angel had nearly been hit (even if it seemed like an accident as Mels had nearly fallen off the stairs at the crash and the gun was in her hand), the TARDIS was damaged, Angel was inhaling bad smoke, he was tired, Angel was worried about the TARDIS, they didn't have time for this adventure when Ayla was still out there with Kovarian, and Angel was coughing. Mostly it was how much danger Angel had been in just then, what with Mels and her gun and the crash and the gas and...he just wanted to pop in and see the Ponds, get them to stop trying to contact them so they could focus on finding Ayla. He didn't want this, he didn't want some long lost friend of theirs to show up and force them off on an adventure they didn't...even HE didn't...want to be on. Martha had once said that things just escalated around him, he used to think that wonderful, but now...now it couldn't happen at a worse time.

Every second there, every second Mels kept them flying around, was a second longer that Ayla was lost to them.

"Mels!" Angel turned and quickly pushed her away from the door to the TARDIS as she was standing in the doorway, looking back at the smoke, "You need to get back!"

"Bad smoke!" the Doctor agreed, rushing to take the gun from her as well, seeing her distracted enough to get it off her, well that was one less thing to worry about at least.

"Oi!" Mels cried, trying to snatch the gun back but the Doctor held it away from her.

"Don't breathe the bad, bad smoke. Bad, deadly smoke," he turned to her angrily as Rory noticed Robo-Erik on the ground, "Because somebody shot our TARDIS!"

Mels just rolled her eyes and walked off.

"Doctor, this guy, I think he's hurt," Rory called as Amy moved to kneel beside him, Angel glancing at the man with a small frown.

~8~

"Transmit normal life signs," the captain ordered as he and the tiny sized crew picked themselves up.

"Artificial gravity holding but we should get upright when we can," the young man reported.

~8~

"No, wait," Rory frowned, "Hold on," he leaned forward, listening to the man breathing, taking his vitals, "He's fine."

The Doctor fiddled with the gun in his hand, not comfortable with it at all, before moving to put it in a fruit bowl by the desk just as Hitler began to pick himself up, "Oh! Hello! Sorry is this your office?" Amy and Rory stood up, Angel glancing over from where she was stroking the corner of the TARDIS, whispering to the box to try and soothe her as she repaired herself a bit, "Had a sort of collision with my vehicle. Faults on both sides, let's say no more about…" Hitler turned around to reveal himself, "…it…"

"Is that…" Amy hissed as she and Rory rushed to the Doctor's side, "No, it can't be Doctor…"

"Thank you, whoever you are," Hitler told them, "I think you have just saved my life."

"…believe me, it was an accident," the Doctor swallowed.

Hitler looked over at Angel and the TARDIS, "What is this thing?" he walked over to it. The Doctor stepping closer to Angel, tugging her away from the Nazi leader and closer to himself, not trusting _anyone_ he didn't know around his Mate any longer.

"What did he mean we just saved his life?" Amy whispered, "We cannot have just saved _Hitler_."

Angel looked around a moment, sensing the time, "We didn't, it's 1938," she said quietly.

The Doctor nodded, "Hitler doesn't die till 1945," he agreed, but still, just the _thought_ of having saved the man from something…this man...all those children, all those babies, those mothers and fathers and sons and...and daughters...who had died because of him? He felt ill thinking about it. He swallowed hard, his mind back on his own daughter, on Ayla, and how he _wasn't_ looking for her at the moment and why. He turned and stormed over to Mels, "You see! You see, time travel. It _never_ goes to plan."

Mels rolled her eyes again.

"This box, what is it?" Hitler asked.

The Doctor turned to him, "It's a police telephone box from London, England," he walked towards him, "That's right Adolf, the British are coming."

Hitler's eyes widened, seeing Robo-Erik stand behind the Doctor and reached out, "No!" he grabbed his gun, "Stop him!"

Angel pulled the Doctor down, Hitler firing at the robot quite a few times as the Doctor twisted, putting himself between her and the firing, covering her with his body.

~8~

"Damage report!" the captain shouted as sparks went up, the robot hit, "Damage report!"

~8~

Rory dashed over and punched Hitler, grabbing the revolver he'd dropped and pointed it at him, "Sit still," he cocked it, "Shut up," Hitler held his hands up.

Amy ran over to Robo-Erik's side, "Are you ok?"

"Yes," he replied, "Yes, I'm fine...I think he missed."

Angel just looked at him again, this was...not right...something about this just wasn't right but...she couldn't tell what. Her head hurt, it had hurt for a while, but she hadn't slept well, if at all, since Ayla had been taken, she was slow and she knew it. She knew that wasn't a good thing to do to herself, that it would put the Doctor and the others in danger, but she just...every second asleep was another that she wasn't using to find her daughter. And Ayla was far more important to her than her sleep.

"He was going to _kill_ me!" Hitler shouted.

"Shut up Hitler!" Rory snapped.

"Rory take Hitler and put him in that cupboard over there," the Doctor called, his eyes on Angel who was frowning and looking at Robo-Erik, "Now. Do it."

"Right…putting Hitler in the cupboard…" Rory nodded, hauling the man up and pushing him across the room, "Cupboard, Hitler. Hitler, cupboard…"

"But I am the fuehrer!" Hitler bristled.

"Right, in you go," he shoved him in.

"Who _are_ you!?"

Rory just shut the door in his face before turning to see the Doctor and Angel looking at Robo-Erik closely, the Doctor now even more suspicious of the man given Angel's intent stare.

"Are you ok?" Angel asked the man cautiously, if she was wrong...if he wasn't what she felt he might be, if he wasn't...wrong...then he might be hurt. She eyed him as he moved to sit heavily on the edge of the desk.

~8~

"Sir what do we do now?" the young woman asked, feeling quite uncomfortable as the girl on the monitor's eyes flickered in her direction as though she could see them when each of them spoke.

"Suggestions?" the captain called.

"We should go into surveillance mode," the young man replied.

"Agreed, let's faint."

~8~

"Oh…I…" Robo-Erik...fainted backwards, falling right off the desk and landing on the floor with a thump. Amy ran to his side, kneeling down as Rory joined them, the Doctor and Angel just looking at the man, the Doctor reaching out to take her hand, tugging her closer, sensing unease from her.

"I think he just fainted," Rory remarked.

"Yes, that was a faint," the Doctor nodded, " _Perfect_ faint."

Amy sighed and looked up, frowning when she saw Mels clutching her side, "Mels?"

"Hitler…" Mels breathed.

"What about him?" the Doctor looked over with the rest.

"Lousy shot," she collapsed.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't you just hate cliffhangers? }:) Lol, sorry, this was just too good a place to end ;) I know there wasn't tons of fluff here, but some did sneak in, and there'll be even more to come :) Mostly, here, it's because they've just come from trying (and failing) to find Ayla :( There's also a little hint of some things to come ;) But aww, Rory! I LOVE Rory! ^-^


	28. Let's Kill Hitler: Melody

"Mels?" Amy gasped, her eyes widening as her best friend fell to the ground, "Mels!" she ran over to her with the others. Rory on Mels's right, Amy on her left, the Doctor in the center, but Angel remained where they had been standing, unable to help the sense of dread that was filling her, before slowly walking over. It wasn't dread in that Mels would die...but in that something far worse would be coming.

"Rory!" the Doctor shouted.

"No, no, no, no, no, we've got to stop the bleeding," Rory frantically tried to move Mels' hand to check her wound but Mels just wouldn't budge...

Angel looked at the girl's hand the closer she came, shouldn't...shouldn't there be blood? As terrible as it was to think, that was what happened when someone was shot right? She'd been shot at, it grazed her arm, she'd bled but...even now, there wasn't any blood...

And if there was no blood...was there no wound?

She blinked, rubbing her head, it was starting to hurt more...

~8~

"Sir…that blue box," the young man called, "I've got a match," he looked at the information streaming on the screen, "We're trying to bag war criminals...we've got the _biggest_ one _ever_ right under our noses," the captain frowned at that and walked over to him, curious as to who the biggest one of them all could be, "Forget Hitler. We take this one down the Justice Department will give us the rest of the year off."

"Are you sure?" he asked, his eyes wide as he saw the read out, the scan of the five people before them, who they were.

"There's no question," the young man nodded, suddenly all of them more serious than before, "It's her."

"Oh, dear God," the captain breathed, before spinning around, "Positions!" he ordered, a bark in his words, if they could nab this one...even before the crime she committed...they wouldn't just get the year off, they'd be heroes! "Get ready for war everyone!"

~8~

"How bad is it?" Amy demanded, shaking as she tried to stay strong, but she couldn't help but worry, her best friend had just been shot in front of her and was probably dying! Why did everyone she cared for have to be shot in front of her? First Angel, now Mels...she shook her head, sniffling, "Rory what can we do?"

"Just...keep her conscious," Rory said, it was all he could really say until he could see the wound and how bad it was but Mels still wouldn't move her hand so he could get a proper look, "Stay with us Mels."

"Hey, look at me," the Doctor called, trying to help as Angel just stood behind him, looking down at the girl with a small, curious frown, "Just hold on."

"I used to dream about you…" Mels told him, panting, sounding as though she were struggling to breathe, "All those stories Amy used to tell me."

"What stories?" he asked, ignoring her first comment, "Tell me what stories. Vampires in Venice, that's a belter."

"When I was little," she smirked a bit, smiling dreamily up at him, "I was gonna _marry_ you. Was gonna fight the Universe to get you."

The Doctor tensed at that and tried to smile despite her words, there was something...more than just a child's fantasy in her words, she sounded truly serious, "You can still get married some day, you stay alive and get married," he offered instead.

"To you?" she breathed, before wincing, pressing her hand firmer to her side, making them all tense and grow more frantic, "Suppose you'd have to ask my parents' permission first though."

His attempt at a reassuring smile tensed, "As soon as you're well you can get them on the phone, have a lovely chat."

He was a bit...worried now, not sure if she was just ignoring the fact that he was trying to politely tell her he wasn't going to marry her ever or if she was just too...dazed to realize it, probably because she was dying at the moment...he didn't want to be cruel and flat out refuse her while she was dying, didn't want the last words she heard to be rejection. But...it was bothering him how she kept going on about it, like it didn't matter to her that he was saying no, all she was hearing was 'wait' instead. He could tell it was making Angel uncomfortable how determined the girl seemed to be to see it through, he could feel it, and if she kept it up, he was going to have to tell her to stop, that he was NOT ever going to marry her, no matter how much it would hurt her for those to be the last words she heard.

"You could always do it now, since they're both right here," Mels smiled, seeing the Doctor having been about to open his mouth to do as he had planned and tell her he wasn't going to marry her only to stop and freeze at her words. Everyone exchanged a look, the Doctor turning from Amy to Rory to Mels, "Penny in the air," she smirked, before flinching in pain as her image flickered before them, too quickly for the humans to see but not the Time Lords. The Doctor half-leapt away from her, scrambling back up and to Angel's side, taking the Time Lady's hand as he stepped in front of her, as though blocking her, "Penny drops!"

"What the hell is going on?!" Rory frowned, seeing the image flicker again, this time though he managed to notice it, a change in coloring...

"Back, back, back, get back!" the Doctor pulled them away, desperate to get them away from the girl, but not as desperate as he was to get Angel out of there now. But how?! The TARDIS was a danger at the moment, Berlin was on the brink of war outside, and Hitler's Nazis were roaming around the building, there was nowhere they could go and now he knew...he KNEW exactly who was in front of them. And he felt sick realizing she'd been there the entire time, around Angel, around HIM and he hadn't noticed...

Mels stood up, "Always had a flair for the dramatic," she laughed, perfectly fine, revealing she had been faking the 'gunshot' just before to worry them. She held out her vest to the side and reached into it, pulling out a circular device as it sparked in her hands, making her flinch again as her image flickered, whatever it was...it was hurting her quite a bit.

"Ok, Doctor explain what is happening," Amy shook her head, staring at Mels...a Mels whose appearance kept...she didn't know, it was like there was static, it was jerking around and changing too quickly, but she could see, no matter what it was, Mels was being hurt by it, "Please!"

"Mels, short for…" the Doctor began, tensing, a hard edge in his voice, as the flickering happened more frequently, Mels flinching and jerking with each strike as she held the device in both hands. He recognized it now, it was like the device the Signora had been using in Venice, like the device that the Vinvocci had.

It was a shimmer, it was an advanced shimmer coupled with a perception filter, keyed onto her. Like with the Vinvocci, the image created a field around her, around only her, that contained who she really was, made others see her as another. It was constricting and, with the field starting to break down, it was painful. The jolts from the device were hurting her because he knew, the longer the shimmer was on, the more the person within was used to it, the more it hurt to have it removed by a glitch...a glitch like a gunshot wound to the center of it.

What did you know, Hitler was actually a rather good shot, the bullet was lodged right in the center of the device.

"Melody," Angel swallowed, tensing as the Doctor squeezed her hand, his thumb frantically rubbing circles on her knuckles as he tried to reassure her and calm himself. Both of them knew who this woman was going to reveal herself as...and if this was her, right at the beginning, like they both feared...they honestly didn't know what was coming.

"Yeah, I promised to name my daughter after her…" Amy shook her head, not sure what that had to do with what was wrong with Mels, "Look she's hurt..." she started forward towards Mels when the Doctor jolted forward, dropping Angel's hand to grab Amy and pull her back.

"No!"

"Doctor..."

"You'll name your daughter… _after your daughter_ ," the Doctor tried to explain to her, looking at both her and Rory, he had seen it, the flash, the flicker, exactly WHO Mels really was.

"It took me _years_ before I was allowed to be with you," Mels smirked, flinching worse than before as her image flickered again, but this time...this time they got a bigger flash of the image that was trying to break through, an image that made the Ponds stiffen and pray the image they thought they saw was wrong, "But I'm so glad they let me. And you see. You were the ones who raised me, so, in a way, I suppose this is partially your fault as well."

"Our fault?" Amy frowned, utterly confused as to what was going on.

Rory blinked, "Wait...are you..." he looked at the Doctor, "Are you telling us that's...Melody?" Rory looked at Mels, "Our Melody, our future daughter?" he didn't understand, Mels had been a little girl, grown up with them, how was she their daughter too?!

"No, no..." Amy looked at Mels as she smirked, "She can't be 'cos, if she's Melody...then that means she's also…"

"Oh, this is going to hurt," Mels groaned loudly, pulling their attention over to see her slamming her hand down on the device to cancel out the perception filter and the shimmer. But the damage had been done, the device was too badly damaged, and the pain that struck her as it canceled, as the fields that had been around her for years broke down, made her scream, the image flickering faster and faster and faster.

Angel winced, her hand flying to her head as she saw it…

'… _hello Benjamin_ …'

'… _watch out that bowtie_ …'

'… _I'm not complaining_ …'

'… _I'm a psychopath, not rude_ …'

She gasped and glanced at 'Mels,' the girl with her eyes squeezed tightly shut as the device ran its last round, and then at the chair that Rory had tossed Hitler's revolver onto and scrambled over to it...

"Oh, right," Mels grinned as the device's functions cancelled out, leaving none other than what the Ponds knew to be River Song standing there in her place, "Let's see then…" she looked down and began to examine herself, "Oh, it's all going on down there isn't it?" she reached up to her hair, "Hair!" she felt it, "Oh my hair!" and ran over to a mirror by the cupboard Hitler was still banging against, "It just doesn't stop, does it? Look at that! Oh, I haven't seen myself in _ages_! Oh they didn't want you to know who I was," she sighed, shrugging as she fluffed her hair.

She'd been forced to wear that horrid device since she'd met Amelia as a child. She didn't know why, something about how Amy and Rory would certainly know who she was as she got older and that they _couldn't_ recognize her as she was. She didn't particularly care why, her caregivers had access to time travel, she just assumed that, perhaps something in the future meant that Amy shouldn't recognize her. She didn't much concern herself with that, with the laws of time and whatnot, they were boring, rules in general were boring. She loved breaking them, but the device she'd worn, she _had_ been curious as to why she'd needed to wear it, and now she knew, how else would she have been able to learn about the Doctor and Angel from Amy? How else would she have been able to get into the TARDIS? Get as close as she had to them? She assumed now that Amy perhaps would have met her in the future, looking as she did now, and that the girl couldn't make the connection between 'Melody' and 'Mels.' With time travel and everything, perhaps Amy wouldn't have trusted her if she looked like she did now.

Well, that and she loved tricking people. She loved lying. To everyone, her head teachers, the authorities, even to Amy and Rory. It was so much fun to trick people.

"Oh but I love it! I love it!" she spun to them, "I'm all sort of…mature…" she put her leg up on a fallen table, showing off her older figure, she was a bit older than Amy in reality, but the device made her look the girl's age to fit in, "Hello Benjamin!" she smirked flirtatiously at the Doctor, eyeing him up and down.

The Doctor shook his head, not even considering Melody's new position and pose as he looked at Angel instead, "Who's Benjamin?" he whispered.

But Angel just shook her head, watching Melody intently, unable and unwilling to look away. She was getting a VERY bad feeling. Her stomach was twisting painfully about all this.

"The teeth!" Melody suddenly shouted, making them look at her as she started feeling her teeth...though her eyes were on the Doctor, the corners of her lips quirking up as though she were pleased they were all looking at _her_ again, "The teeth! The teeth! Oh!" she ran right over to the Doctor, "Oh look at them!" and pushed him up onto the desk behind him, making him sit there with her in between his legs despite his attempts to push himself back farther to get away from her, her hands resting on his thighs as he seemed nearly about to have a panic attack, "Watch out that bowtie!"

Angel didn't move, still standing right beside the Doctor, as she shook her head, trying to make sense of this and...a bit...afraid...to see what the Doctor would do in that position. Melody spun around to face her parents, trying to lean back into the Doctor's chest but he just leaned further back, away from her, which made Angel breathe a sigh of relief.

"Excuse me you lot, I need to weigh myself!" Melody ran off, out of the room, leaving them all in shock.

The Doctor slid just a bit down to the edge of the desk once more, reaching out and pulling Angel to him the moment Melody had stepped away from him, tugging her to settle in between his legs instead. He hugged her back to him, resting his chin on her shoulder as he closed his eyes and shook his head, inhaling her scent to calm his hearts. He needed this, needed to replace the displeasure of _River_ with her comfort and warmth, needed to hold HER instead. Yes, it was Melody, it didn't seem to be River Song yet, but really...all he saw was River Song, that's who she was to him, that was it. And where River had been was the LAST place he EVER wanted her.

Angel turned her head to look at the Doctor, with his eyes closed as though trying to erase the last few seconds from his memory, and hesitantly rested her head to his in comfort. She felt a small smile make its way onto her face when she saw him smile and felt his arms tighten around her despite how tense she was.

Amy and Rory moved to sit on either side of them, "That's…Melody…" Amy breathed, shaking her head, but how?

River Song was apparently Melody Pond. Melody Pond was hers and Rory's daughter. So River was her daughter. Fine, ok, whatever. The woman before them was River Song, was Melody, who was also Mels. But Mels had really been Melody wearing some sort of disguise all this time. Oh she was getting a headache. How was she even there? How had she grown up beside her apparent daughter? Did her own daughter get kidnapped like Ayla in the future? But why take her back in time just to let them raise her? What was the point? What was going on?!

She could understand if her daughter had been taken by someone in the future, why she would have to be disguised as Mels if sent back in time. She would have recognized River Song in the future, with the Weeping Angels, and the SECOND she saw her she would have realized something was very, _very_ wrong and the Doctor would have been suspicious and whatever plans that the kidnappers had would have fallen apart. So she understood the need for the disguise as Mels.

But HOW was that even possible!? She wasn't pregnant! Why would her daughter be taken in the future too?! She couldn't understand that. The SECOND she found out she was pregnant she would STOP travelling with the Doctor, she knew how dangerous it was, she would NOT risk her child like that, not when she knew that Rory wanted children more than anything. She'd have been home, what need would there be to take HER child then?

"That's River Song…" Rory shook his head, that was one thing he couldn't see past. Mels, Melody, it didn't matter, just like the Doctor...all he saw was River Song. All he saw was the woman who had been so cruel to Angel, the woman who had refused to help them rescue Ayla, the woman who...who hated Angel.

Oh dear God...his (possible) daughter hated his Pilot.

But HOW was she their daughter?! How could he ever let his daughter be raised into River Song? True, he hadn't known Mels was his daughter, but he'd tried to be a good influence like Amy had. So...what had happened? How was she even there when they were kids? Why was she there? What was the point?!

"Who's River Song?" Melody appeared in the doorway.

They all turned to look at her and Angel muttered, "…spoilers."

"Spoilers? What's spoilers?" she put a hand on her hip and felt her bum, "Hang on, just something I have to check…" and ran out again.

"Does anybody else find this day just a bit difficult?" Rory asked, rubbing his head, "I'm getting this sort of banging in my head."

"Yeah, I think that's Hitler in the cupboard," Amy remarked though she was most certainly feeling it too.

"That's not helping."

"This isn't the River Song we know yet," the Doctor gently got up, walking forward with Angel, his hand firmly held in hers, like an anchor.

If he let go of Angel now...he knew he'd go for River and no one would like what would come from that. All he could see was the woman smirking at them in Demons Run, talking about their daughter. All he could hear was her scolding him while Angel wept in his arms. All he could think was this was the woman who had tried to manipulate him away from Angel and he was NOT ever going to get over that. He wouldn't ever be able to look at her, at any point in her timeline, and not see the things she'd done to them.

If he let go of Angel now...he was fairly sure he might try to kill her.

And with them just finding out that she was Amy and Rory's daughter...essentially Angel's niece...that would not be good for anyone.

"This is her right at the start…doesn't even know her name…"

"Oh that's magnificent!" they heard Melody cry and slowly turned to see her in the doorway, "I'm gonna wear lots of jumpers!"

~8~

"That's her alright," the captain sighed, seeing the woman on screen, "Melody Pond, the woman who kills the Angel."

~8~

"Well now, enough of all that," Melody grinned and whipped out Hitler's revolver, aiming it at them, "Down to business."

Amy and Rory took an instinctive step back as the Doctor stepped forward, trying to stand just a bit in front of Angel. From that far away, they couldn't be sure who she was aiming at, but given how much the River they knew didn't like her, he could only guess the fact the future River hadn't tried to kill her came from years of _restraint_. This River had no problems pulling a gun on them then...who knew what she would do at her beginning?

"Oh, hello, I thought you wanted to marry me," the Doctor tried to direct the woman's attention to him, he could see her gaze starting to fix on Angel, "No use killing me before then eh?"

Melody smirked, walking closer, "I told you, I'm not a wedding person, and anyway…" she shifted so they could all see she was clearly aiming at Angel, "I don't believe in polygamy. Hard to marry me, when you're with _her_ ," she sneered, her eyes narrowing as she glared at Angel.

Rory shook his head, not at all sure why she was holding a gun on Angel. Mels had been...a handful, yeah, a bit on the edge, but never this...violent. She wouldn't pull a gun on someone, he'd never seen her do that till only just before, and...why would anyone pull a gun on Angel? Even if it was because she seemed to hold the Doctor's affection...Mels couldn't be THAT upset by it that she'd do this, could she? Amy had gotten over it. Mels had always said she'd fight anyone to get the Doctor, but he'd never thought she'd be this serious.

"Angel…what's she doing?" Rory asked, his heart racing as Melody just kept her gaze on Angel.

Angel just looked at her sadly, knowing the answer even though the Doctor didn't, "What she was programmed to do."

She didn't know why she'd said that...but she knew that was the answer.

"But where'd she get the gun?"

"Hello Benjamin," the Doctor breathed, thinking back to how that same gun had been lying on the chair by the mirror.

"You noticed," Melody nodded, "Knew you would," she started to smirk, eyeing him up again, "Were you watching me that closely? Naughty boy," she laughed, moving back to stand before the desk...and fired!

Amy and Rory flinched back, the Doctor jolting in front of Angel to protect her, not about to let ANYONE hurt her...but Angel just sighed and moved to his side when no bullets were fired.

" _I_ noticed," Angel corrected, "I saw it coming. Literally."

The Doctor turned to look at her, a gentle smile forming on his face, making Melody frown at how awed it looked, "Psychic."

"Thief," Angel countered, though still looking at Melody sadly.

Melody rolled her eyes and dropped the gun, "I should have known you would," she glared, "They warned me about you, told me to always be prepared," and so she pulled out another gun, the gun she'd first used on them, out of her vest and aiming it.

"And again," Angel shook her head, "Saw that as well," she looked down at the banana now in Melody's hand. She had switched the fruit bowl that had been on the desk, the bowl the Doctor had hidden the gun in, around when the woman had gone for the gun after complimenting the Doctor's bowtie. She gave the Doctor a small look, a little smile, "What do you know, it never gets old."

The Doctor laughed, moving to step closer to her, draping his arm around her tensing shoulders, "Jack was rather cross with that little trick," he tapped her nose, "I think he'd have laughed if YOU did it to him though. He didn't much like me at first did he?"

"You didn't like him either," she reminded him.

"Yes, well, he was handsome," he defended.

Angel blinked, "What did that have to do with anything?"

He just looked at her gently, reaching out his hand to stroke her cheek, just staring into her liquid silver eyes, "I don't do well with handsome men around you," he whispered to her.

"Rory's around me all the time."

Rory smiled at that, Angel was actually...as odd as it was given that he'd had a girlfriend at the time and then a fiancé...the first woman who had made him feel...handsome. She complimented him at times, about his personality, his looks, defended him when the Doctor made fun of his nose, she just...she made him feel good about himself, less awkward, and now, to find out she really did think he was handsome, well that meant a lot to him. It was always nice to get a compliment like that from anyone.

The Doctor pouted at that, "But he's your brother."

"And so is Jack."

"But he wasn't at first," he sighed, still gazing at her, not seeing Melody's eyes narrow even more, her gaze drift back to the fruit bowl, to the gun, "And...handsome men...they have a better chance of taking you away from me, of making you want to leave..."

Angel blinked and looked at him, he'd _really_ thought that she'd have left him to go with Jack if Jack had asked?

She gave him a tiny smile, touched by that, to know that, even then, even in his old old self, he'd still...wanted her to be with him, even if he hadn't realized it, "I would only leave with a great looking one," she told him, reaching up to take the hand that was still tracing her cheek to hold it, "And those sorts only disappear in TARDISes."

He beamed at that, "Oh."

Melody's jaw tensed at the sickening display before her, "Goodness, is killing you going to take all day?" she snapped, needing them to STOP, needing to stop THEM. She probably should have used that, used their distraction to grab the gun...but she wanted them to see her, she wanted them to be scared, she wanted the Angel to see her death coming and be unable to stop it.

The Doctor looked over at her, his eyes narrowing from the love-filled ones that had been directed at Angel, to anger as he strode over to her, snatching the banana out of her hand, "Why?" he asked her, suspicious, "You busy?" he scoffed, moving back to Angel's side, as though he would just _let_ her kill his Mate, please.

"Oh, I'm not complaining," Melody turned and grabbed a letter opener on the desk, spinning around to try and throw it like a knife...only for a spark of gold between her hand and the metal to spring up, making her drop it, hissing in minor pain as she grabbed her hand. It hadn't burned her or singed her, but the little electrical shock had been unexpected.

"I think...if you REALLY wanted to kill me..." for who else could she have been after, she'd been aiming for HER all this time, "You would have done it in the cornfield," Angel remarked calmly.

Amy and Rory shifted, growing concerned both with how adamant Melody seemed in wanting to kill Angel, especially since Angel hadn't _done_ anything to her so early in her timeline, and how calm Angel was being in the face of someone out for her life. They just didn't get it.

Both of them had briefly considered the fact that, perhaps River Song had hated Angel in the future, because of something Angel had done to her in the past. But the farther they got into River's past...the less they saw of something Angel could have done to her. They already doubted Angel would have done anything to warrant such hatred from River but...this was the very beginning of River's time...and what had Angel done? All River/Melody had heard was stories about the Doctor, and Angel, but this was the first time she was meeting them. And already she wanted to kill Angel? You didn't kill someone just because they were together with someone you wanted yourself, not like this, not so cold-bloodedly, and Angel hadn't done anything, so WHY was she so set on killing Angel?! It was really starting to alarm them as they had nothing now, no possible thing Angel had done that could make River want to kill her, nothing that was justified, nothing that made sense.

"We'd only just met!" Melody replied, "I'm a psychopath," she turned back to the fruit bowl, "Not rude," she added, grabbing the gun, Mels' gun, and firing at them. Amy and Rory ducked back, the Doctor grabbing Angel and turning her so HIS back was to Melody, ready and willing to take the bullets for her...but Angel just sighed and gently rested her hand on his chest, pushing him away enough to see Melody again, pulling the clip from her pocket.

"Honestly River," Angel sighed, "Never try to fool a psychic."

"Who's River?" Melody asked, her lips pursing as she failed, yet again, to off the Angel. This was turning out to be harder than she thought! Honestly! How was that happening!? The woman wasn't even remotely clever, was too kind to try and attack back...made for the PERFECT target! All she had to her name was visions that may or may not happen and even if they did...SHE was brilliant, she should have been able to fool the Time Lady or trick her or get something past the visions.

The Angel wasn't THAT amazing.

"You are _not_ a psychopath!" Amy walked over to the Doctor's side as Rory did the same for Angel, "Why would she be a psychopath?" it didn't even matter if Melody was somehow her child, MELS wasn't a psychopath so what had happened?!

Melody stepped forward, "Oh, mummy, mummy pay attention," she circled the Doctor and Angel as they did the same to her, her eyes narrowing as the Doctor took Angel's hand, moving her behind him slightly as they moved, his own eyes glaring back at her, his body rigid, tense, ready for a fight, ready to defend his precious Mate, "I was trained and conditioned for one purpose. I was born to kill the Doctor."

"Demons Run," the Doctor breathed, working something out as he glanced at Amy, staying close to Angel, wary of Melody, "When you found out who River was to you? Remember? _This_ is what they were trying to build," he faced her, "My bespoke psychopath."

THAT was what Vastra and Dorium had been trying to tell him. A weapon to be used against HIM. A weapon he couldn't fight against. Someone trying to kill him that he couldn't stop. There were just two problems with that plan...he had no qualms facing down River at the moment, not after everything she'd done, no matter who her parents were, she had HURT his MATE. And the second...

"They took Ayla though," Rory shook his head, confused, unintentionally stating what the Doctor was thinking, they had taken Ayla so what was River? "How…"

"As you said," Melody smirked, "Spoilers," she stepped up to the Doctor, "And I'm all _yours_ sweetie," she moved to kiss him but Angel pulled him back, "Spoilsport."

"Poisoner," Angel countered.

" _No one_ gets to call me sweetie," the Doctor determined, the word itself equating to River Song and he had to admit, he was sorely tempted to kill her right then before she could try and manipulate him in her future. But then he had to remember, she saved them in the Library, she had to be there to do that. No matter how angry he was...she saved ANGEL in the Library too...

"Not even this River woman?" Melody smirked, reaching out a finger to try and trace his bowtie.

"Especially not her," he glared, slapping her hand away from him.

"Fair enough," she shrugged, "Stupid name," and turned to walk to the window...seeming to be giving up, just like that.

"I don't understand," Rory cut in, he really was starting to get such a terrible headache about all this, he was SO confused, "You've been trained to kill the Doctor…so why are you trying to kill _Angel_?"

"How long have you known her Amy?" the Doctor asked, his mind racing as he worked out the same thing.

"Since I was a little girl," Amy replied, "Just after I met you two. I was seven."

The Doctor nodded, "So round about 15 years or so?"

Amy nodded, thinking about how they hadn't met her when Prisoner Zero had been there, "Yeah…she moved away for a bit when I went for university, we kept in touch…"

"So, about six years of conditioning," the Doctor looked at Melody, sizing her up, guessing at her timeline, "Training to kill me, from the moment you could walk or talk, learning everything you needed to know on how to kill a Time Lord. Then twice as long hearing nothing but stories about me from the brilliant little girl who believed in me the most. Gotta have warped the training just a bit, don't you think?"

"Wait…" Rory blinked, actually managing to follow along, "So you're saying...all the stories Amy told us what, undid the conditioning?"

"Not undid. Warped. I said warped, didn't I? Warped, yes, brilliant word warped."

"Doctor," Angel whispered, her gaze on Melody turning sad, which seemed to irritate the woman.

"Right yes," he shook his head, "She's been trained to kill a Time Lord yes? But after twelve to fifteen years of fantastic stories about yours truly, the end target shifted from me…"

"To me," Angel nodded, guessing the same.

She had seen it in Amy, the hints of obsession with the Doctor, the crush the ginger girl had developed. Amy though, had had Rory in her life, had managed to find love, had matured and grown and...had moved on. But there was a time where...well, she hated to think of it but, she felt like even if she and the Doctor had been together when Amy was there, with the Doctor remembering and everything, that Amy would have STILL tried to get to the Doctor after the _Byzantium_. Despite knowing that the Doctor was taken, Amy would have still _tried_. If she had been willing to do that to her own fiancé...there would be nothing to stop her even if the Doctor was taken.

And this was Melody, Amy's daughter. She saw the same traits in Melody as in Amy but...Melody had a VERY different upbringing. She had been raised and trained to kill a Time Lord. Her entire life had been about that, about being ready to kill someone. She had no qualms taking a life it appeared. And...she had spent most of her life obsessing over the Doctor as Amy had. But she was not as mature as Amy, she was not as capable as moving on, psychopaths rarely were. They became obsessed with something and did whatever they could to get it, got whatever obstacles were in the way out of them. And that meant...

She blinked, startled. That meant HER. That meant...River had always known she was the Doctor's Mate! It made sense that...given the Silent's command in the TARDIS that the Silence in general were well aware that she was his Mate. And if they had been the ones raising Melody like they thought they had...then River had always known who she was to the Doctor, even as a child. She had always known.

She looked down, feeling the Doctor's grip on her hand tighten and realized...he'd caught that. He'd caught her thoughts and come to the same realization. That River had always known she was his Mate and had kept it from them. If it had been something she'd learned later on in her life, they couldn't fault her for not speaking it earlier...but she had known from the start that the Doctor was Mated.

But did she even know what that meant?! If she did...why was she so determined to kill Angel if it meant that the Doctor would die as well? Just how much did she actually know?

"I wasn't lying when I said I'd marry you one day Doctor," Melody smirked, leaning in the window, amused as she watched them, glancing at her nails from time to time. She looked back out the window at Berlin, "Oh! Look at that! Berlin on the eve of war. A whole world about to tear itself apart," she glanced at them, "Now that's _my_ kind of town."

"You can't kill Angel," Amy shook her head, "We won't let you."

Rory nodded, he was getting the feeling that Melody had NO idea what would happen to the Doctor if she killed Angel. She wanted to marry the Doctor? How could she if the Doctor died as a result of killing Angel?

"Oh mummy," she actually started laughing, "Do you _really_ think you could stop me?"

"No," the Doctor agreed, "But _I_ can and I will if you so much as come near Angel again," he glanced back at Amy and Rory, "Sorry."

Melody laughed, "No need for threats, my love, the deed is already done. And so is she...right...about..." she glanced at her watch, "Now."

The Doctor spun around right as Angel nearly collapsed to the ground, clutching her chest in pain. He ran to her side immediately, grabbing her as she fell, catching her before she fell to her knees, Amy and Rory running to help her as well, "Angel!" Rory gasped.

"What's wrong?" Amy breathed, scared.

"What have you _done_?!" the Doctor turned to shout, glaring at Melody as Angel struggled to breathe.

Melody just smirked, watching, pleased, as tears filled Angel's eyes at her struggles.

"River…" Angel ground out.

"Oh, River, River, River…" Melody rolled her eyes, "I know you're not all that clever but even YOU should be able to get my name right."

" _What have you done_!?" the Doctor demanded, only Angel collapsing completely against him keeping him from lunging at the woman and forcing the answer out of her.

"It was never going to be a _gun_ for _her_ , Doctor," Melody nearly sneered, "The woman of peace," she mocked, echoing words the Doctor had once referred to Angel as, words that he would always agree with, Angel was truly a woman of peace, but right now...right now he wanted to very much be a man of war, "To think, you, who understands _every_ kind of warfare, didn't even see this coming, not even your psychic could," she waved at him, wiggling her fingers before turning her hand back and flashing him her bright red nails.

And it was then that the Doctor realized…he quickly took Angel's hand, extending her arm, exposing the scratch Mels had given her when she had threatened her in the cornfield, and flashed the sonic against it, traces of poison came up in the reading, making his eyes widen in horror.

"Pity it doesn't work quite as fast as with a kiss," Melody sighed, disappointed more in that it had taken so long to kick in. The effects though, would be the same, "Not that I'd ever kiss you with poison on my lips sweetie," she laughed, "Oh well, ta ta," she turned and dropped down from the window, her work there was done, now she just had to wait for the Angel to meet her fate and then the Doctor would seek her out and the real fun could begin.

"What's wrong with her?" Rory looked at the Doctor, frantic, "What has she done to Angel?"

"Poisoned her," he breathed, looking down at her as she strained to look up at him, her body tensing against his as shots of pain hit her.

"Why didn't you see it?" Amy asked her, concerned, "You saw what she was doing with the guns but…"

"I can't…see everything," she groaned before breathing heavily, "I'll be fine…"

"You're _dying_!" Rory shouted.

"But I've got a plan," the Doctor nodded, his mind racing to come up with one, but he'd need help, more help than the sonic could provide.

"What plan?" Amy looked at him, seeing concern etched on his face.

"Not letting her die," he replied tensely.

And he wouldn't.

He had already lost his daughter to Kovarian and the Silence, he would NOT lose his Mate as well.

~8~

"Scanning her," the young woman called, before letting out a sad breath, "She's dying alright."

"But…she _can't_ be," the young man shook his head.

~8~

Angel groaned and pushed herself up, the Doctor helping her as was Rory, "Ok, what do we do? How do we help?"

The Doctor handed Amy the sonic, "Take this, the TARDIS can home in on it," he turned to Rory, getting a firmer grip on Angel and ushered him away, "Now go, get after her."

"Why!?" Rory shook his head, not wanting to leave his Pilot, his sister in such a state. He was a nurse, he could help!

"There's a psychopath loose in Berlin. And…she's _your_ daughter. She's YOUR responsibility. So go."

Rory rolled his eyes and moved to run to the window, he knew what Angel would want him to do. There really WAS a psychopath loose in Berlin and who knew who else she would hurt in her rampage. Angel would want them to be saved, he had to stop Melody, for Angel. He could only guess that the poison was some sort of alien thing or some advanced one that he couldn't really help with despite wanting to. He would be a distraction and a liability, get in the Doctor's way, the man HAD to have had some experience in things like this. So while the Doctor saved Angel, he could save Berlin.

Amy took his place beside Angel, trying to help the Time Lady to the TARDIS.

Rory stopped at the window, looking down where Melody was approaching a small group of armed Nazis. They turned, locking and loading, aiming at her, "Hello boys," she called.

"You said the smoke was deadly!" Amy shouted as they reached the door to the TARDIS.

"Oh, yeah, yeah, the smoke's fine, the poison will kill her first," the Doctor struggled to get the door open, his hands were shaking too badly to get the key in, so Angel weakly reached out and touched the door, the door opening under her touch as TARDISes always had for her. He turned, kissing her forehead quickly and then shouted at Amy, "Now get after River!"

"I don't understand ok, one minute she's trying to kiss you and then she's killing someone…"

"She's been...brainwashed," Angel groaned, leaning in the doorway of the TARDIS.

"It all makes sense, plus she's a woman," the Doctor added but Amy opened her mouth, "Oh, shut up! Amelia, Angel's _dying_ , I don't have time!" he shoved her away and moved to help Angel into the TARDIS but she struggled not to go, "Angel!" his hearts were racing and there wasn't any time to waste...

"Go...with her," Angel told him.

"No…"

"They're going to...need your...help!"

"I'm _not_ leaving you!"

"You did before!" she snapped, grunting in pain and closing her eyes, trying to breathe, but it hurt...everything hurt, "You can again," she whispered, before forcing her eyes open to look at him, "Just...go help them!"

He swallowed hard, shaking his head at her request, " _Never_ again," and pushed her into the TARDIS, shutting the doors behind them, keeping Amy out, "Extractor fans on!" he called and the fans started up, clearing the smoke, "Oh!" he looked mildly surprised about that, "That works?"

~8~

"What are you doing here?" one of the Nazis asked as Rory snuck down behind some crates, watching Melody closely.

"Well," Melody smirked, "I was on my way to this gay gypsy bar mitzvah for the disabled when I suddenly thought 'gosh the Third Reich's a bit rubbish, I think I'll kill the Fuehrer.' Who's with me?"

The Nazi lowered his gun, "Shoot her."

"No!" Rory gasped as the men fired...only to stop and look on shocked as the bullets hovered in midair before Melody.

Melody just smiled up at them, "Tip for you all? Any good assassin would _never_ leave home without an electromagnetic force field."

And suddenly...the bullets shot back at the men, killing them as Melody laughed, walking over to them and plucking their guns from their cold, dead hands.

Amy jumped down by Rory who was watching her stone-faced at what she was doing, at the...glee she seemed to get. But then again...she had said she was a psychopath...this was what they were capable of doing, weren't they?

Melody hopped on a motorbike, "Thanks boys!" she laughed at their unmoving bodies, mockingly adding, "Call me!"

"What are you doing!?" Amy shouted as Rory held her back from trying to go after the woman, she had JUST killed Nazi soldiers, he was NOT about to let Amy be her next victim. Though he doubted Melody would kill her, if she still clearly needed to be born, but...he didn't want her to get hurt.

"New body, new town…I'm going shopping!" Melody sped off.

Rory and Amy looked around for a way to follow her when another Nazi pulled up on a motorbike of his own and looked at them. Rory and Amy exchanged a glance before Rory turned to the Nazi, "Look…I know how this looks…let me explain everything from the beginning…heil!" he saluted.

"Heil!" the soldier saluted...and Rory punched him right out.

"Come on!" he ran past the man and onto the motorbike, Amy shook herself out of her shock at seeing Rory punch the Nazi and jumped on behind him.

"Can you ride a motorbike?"

He shrugged, "I expect so. It's that sort of day," they raced off after Melody, unnoticing of the Nazi behind them getting up mechanically.

~8~

"Ok," the captain sighed, rolling his eyes, "This time, let's do the bike too," they watched the readings as the robot shifted to a have a bike under it and headed out after the Ponds.

"You see, she _can't_ be dying," the young man pointed at the screen before him, all the information about the Angel.

"But the Angel is confirmed deceased. We have her records."

"But she doesn't die _here_. She does in Utah, by Lake Silencio, April 22nd, 2011…"

"Time can be rewritten," the young woman remarked, "Remember Kennedy?"

"This time can't. It's confirmed...fixed point. The Angel must always die exactly then, she always has, and she always will, protecting the Doctor."

"Then someone screwed up because she's dying right now," the captain sighed, rubbing his head.

~8~

Angel collapsed just as the fans kicked on, the Doctor immediately scooping her into his arms and carrying her to the console floor, gently setting her down as the TARDIS hummed frantically.

"I'm fine…" Angel wheezed out as the Doctor sat beside her, pulling her into his arms, her back to his front, much like they had sat after stopping that killer star, his arms wrapped around her, "Sissy, I'll be alright…" she tried to calm the box...but the TARDIS didn't quiet though, only grew more frantic in her alarm at her sister's plight.

"You're shutting down…going to need an interface. Voice interface!" the Doctor called, holding her close as she spasmed in pain, "Come on, emergency!"

A hologram of Idris appeared, "Voice interface enabled."

Angel groaned, clutching her chest, the Doctor reaching up to grab her arm and hand, holding it as he held her, "Sissy…"

"I am not your sister, I am a voice interface."

"Right," she nodded, "Right."

The Doctor swallowed hard, knowing that his sonic wouldn't be able to actually tell him much about this exact poison, it was too rare, he knew that much, "How is she doing?"

"Her system has been contaminated by the poison of the Judas Tree," 'Idris' stated, "She will be dead in 32 minutes."

Angel winced and grabbed the side of her neck.

The Doctor nodded, "Ok, so…" he looked at Angel, solemn, "You need to regenerate."

"Regeneration disabled. She will be dead in 32 minutes."

The Doctor winced at that, knowing that it also meant trying to use the Vortex to burn off the poison was useless as well. It probably could but...with Angel's pain and how tired they both were and how much focus it would take...she wouldn't be able to do it. She had an equal (probably greater) chance of burning out all her internal organs in the process. She was in too much pain to focus like that. So it was up to him!

"Unless I can cure her, yeah?" he looked up, hopeful. He knew there was one, knowing what the poison was now, he KNEW there was one out there! He just...

"There is no cure," the interface cut into his thoughts, "She will be dead in 32 minutes."

"Why do you keep _saying_ that?!" he snapped, Angel couldn't die! He couldn't lose her! Not now! He'd JUST gotten back to her! He knew why the interface was saying that there was no cure, it wasn't that there literally wasn't a cure, but that...there wasn't one that could be made in 32 minutes even with a time machine. The cure took ages to make and the ingredients were rare and he didn't know the first place to look to find an already-made cure and...there wasn't time.

For once, the Time Lords had run out of time...

"Because she will be dead in 32 minutes."

"So you're basically skipping 31 whole minutes where she's _absolutely fine_!"

"She will be fine for 31 minutes, she will be dead in 32 minutes."

"Will you stop..."

"Doctor," Angel cut in, sounding near tears, "Please stop...stop yelling..."

He closed his eyes and rested his head to hers, taking a deep breath, trying to calm down, all the shouting couldn't be helping but...HE felt so helpless, he just...he was the Doctor, it was his JOB to cure things.

"I'm sorry..." he whispered in her ear, his forehead resting on her temple as he rocked her a bit, just...he felt like HE couldn't breathe knowing she was so in pain.

"We need to...help River," Angel groaned, "She needs us…"

"She _did_ this to you!" he nearly shouted at her this time, the fear in his hearts mounting, _nearly_. He just...he couldn't do this, not again. She had nearly died on the _Valiant_ , and again in the year after that, but then he'd had a year with her, he had time to think of cures, this time...he barely had a half hour.

"She's just starting..."

"That's right," he nodded, squeezing her tighter, "You can't die now."

"She will not die now," the hologram told him, "She will die in 32 minutes."

"Yes, I know," Angel nearly laughed, "You're very...persistent Sissy."

"I am not your sister, I am a voice interface."

Angel screamed, biting her lip to try and contain it, and grabbed her chest, curling her legs up, curling in on herself in the Doctor's arms. He held her tightly, cradling her as he looked at the hologram, "Ok, ok, ok, we need to get her something for the pain _now_ …come on Idris. Please…"

"I am not Idris, I am a voice interface."

"You've _got_ to tell me how to help her! Please! I _can't_ lose her again. Idris PLEASE."

The hologram of Idris looked at him a moment before it blinked, and a voice, that had just _slightly_ more emotion to it than a hologram had right to have, spoke, "Fish fingers and custard."

"What did you say?" the Doctor looked up suddenly, "Fish fingers and custard?!" he laughed, "Oh! Yes! Fish fingers and custard!" he turned to Angel, his forehead to hers as she had curled onto her side, "Did you hear that?"

Angel nodded, giving him a little weary smile, "Ayla's favorite…"

He blinked, tears in his eyes, "That's right," he nodded, "Ayla's favorite," he kissed her forehead, "You've got to be strong for her, you hear me?" he reached up to cup her cheek with one hand, his thumb stroking it, as she grabbed his wrist with one her hands, clinging to it as he stared into her eyes, "You _can't_ give up before we've found her. She needs her mother yeah?" Angel nodded, gripping his jacket tighter in her other hand, the two of them curled together on the floor of the console room, "Fish," he held her close, moving to a kneel, "Fingers," before helping her to her feet, "And," he got her onto the jump seat, "Custard!" and grabbed a lever, sending the TARDIS flying.

~8~

A group of wealthy Germans were sitting in a restaurant, eating food and listening to live music...when suddenly gunfire rang out.

Melody walked in, two large guns facing up to the ceiling in her hands, "Ladies and gentlemen. I don't have a _thing_ to wear," she aimed her guns at them, a dangerous smirk on her face, "Take off your clothes."

~8~

Rory just happened to pull up before the restaurant, stopping just across the street, "Ok, all of Berlin. How do we find her?"

"I don't know," Amy shrugged, "Look for clues."

"Clues?" he mimicked her accent, "What kind of 'clues?'"

"Shut up," she whacked his chest...when the patrons ran out of the restaurant in their under things, screaming.

"Ok…" Rory nodded, when another bike pulled up to them.

They looked over to see _Amy_ sitting there, mechanically turning her head to look at them...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Confused? I know I am, and I'm the one who wrote it lol.
> 
> We'll find out quite more about dear River Song in the next chapter ;) But have you noticed something...different about her in this chapter than in the episode? There's quite a lot, but one very important detail that we'll find out for sure in the next chapter ;) We'll soon find out how River is there when it was AYLA who was taken and quite a few more things about River's upbringing/knowledge }:)
> 
> As for the poison...I was watching the movie Holes once a long time ago and one of the characters commented on how they made their nail polish with snake venom in it. That it was only dangerous when wet if she scratched someone with it. As I was writing this episode, I knew that 'River' would only ever kill Angel but...I couldn't see her kissing her and I didn't want to do a dart thing like with Proffy. I actually started thinking about Amy's red nail polish for some reason, and then thought about River as her daughter and then the movie and was like BOOM! So that's how that moment came about, River had the poison on her nails (probably wet) and when she scratched Angel pulling her back to aim her gun at her...it got into her system }:)


	29. Let's Kill Hitler: River

"Now look at that!" Melody grinned, trying on clothes before the mirror, piles and piles of clothes from the patrons she'd stolen from, "Now that's fun. From every angle," her gaze flickered to the reflection when she saw Amy run in, blank-faced, unaware it was the robot, "Now dear, you should _know_ better than to follow me."

~8~

Rory looked around, concerned, as he and Amy were deposited in one of the glass tubes of the robot, "Ok…ok…" they stood, "I'm trapped inside a giant robot replica of my wife. I'm _really_ trying not to see this as a metaphor."

"How can we be in here?" Amy looked around, "How do we fit?"

"Um…miniaturization ray?"

"How would you know that?"

"Well there was a ray and we _were_ miniaturized."

"Alright…"

"Welcome," one of the Antibodies called as they rose from the ground, "You are unauthorized," they turned to it, "Your death will now be implemented."

"Um, what's that?"

"Uh, I don't know, it's in YOUR head," Rory remarked as they backed up, him moving in front of Amy in the process, intent to protect her.

"Please remain calm while your life is terminated," the Antibody continued.

"We come in peace!" Amy held her hands up.

"When has that _ever_ worked?" Rory laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation, that worked just about as well as yelling 'it's ok we're nice!' at someone trying to attack them.

"Oh shut up!" they turned and ran around the corner, coming face-to-face with another one.

"Please cooperate in your officially sanctioned termination," the Antibody requested as they ran to another corner, seeing one more, "It is normal to experience fear," until they were cornered by a wall, "During your incineration."

"Stop or I sonic!" Amy threatened, pulling out the Doctor's sonic.

"What are you _doing_?" Rory asked.

"Ah, I don't know."

"Ok, psychic interface, just point and think," he told her.

"I know but what do I think?"

"I don't know!"

Suddenly the doors behind them slid apart and the young man from the control room appeared, "It's ok, just stay still, don't move," he slipped two wrist devices onto them, "Privileges activated. See," he held up their green wrists, "Activated."

"You are authorized," the Antibodies turned to leave, "Your existence will continue."

"You can put your hands down. This is Justice Department Vehicle 6018. You're not guilty of anything. Welcome aboard the Teselecta."

~8~

"Oh, I _missed_ this," Melody remarked as she tried on a jacket, "I haven't seen myself since I was _seven_! Do you believe that!?"

It had been SO long since she'd seen what she really looked like. She'd had to wear that device non-stop, she couldn't risk forgetting to put it on in the morning or having Amy appear at her house at night or some sort of emergency occurring that needed her to run around. She'd looked like 'Mels' since she'd been allowed to go and officially meet Amelia Pond. She had gotten used to looking like 'Mels' but she really did prefer her natural appearance and was just happy to be able to take that disguise off for good now. Shimmers could be rather restraining and uncomfortable. They had to keep being adapted to fit the person wearing it and, especially during puberty, it had been even more awkward to try and keep adjusting it as she grew a little nearly each day.

"You killed the Angel," Robo-Amy stated from behind her, her voice in monotone, something Melody didn't seem to notice.

"Oh, yes I know dear. I hope you're not going to keep on about it," Melody put on a hat, examining herself with it on, "Oh, I've got a whole new coloring to work with now," she took it off and primped her hair.

Robo-Amy moved to stand beside the mirror, looking at her, "You were meant to kill the Doctor on the orders of the movement known as the Silence and Academy of the Question yet you killed the Angel instead. You accept and know this to be true?"

"Quite honestly I don't really remember. It was all a bit of a jumble," Robo-Amy shoved the mirror away and shot the blue-white beam at her, making Melody stumble back in pain as they tried to capture her, "No! Get off me!"

"Sorry," the Doctor's voice called. Robo-Amy stopped and turned to face him as Melody looked, stunned and surprised, to see Angel standing beside the man himself, both wearing rather formal clothes, the Doctor in a black tux while Angel wore what she had during Amy's wedding, "Did you say she was supposed to kill the Doctor?" he looked up from leaning against the side of the TARDIS, holding a cane, "The Doctor? Doctor who?"

~8~

"You said she was _dying_!" the captain shouted, seeing Angel still standing, looking stronger...if a bit pale and trembling slightly, her body rigid.

"She _is_!" the young woman called, that woman must be remarkably strong to be able to stand so...sturdy when they all knew what the effects of the Judas Tree poison was like...pure and utter agony.

"When you're done here your memories will be wiped," the young man was telling Amy and Rory as they entered from the lift, "And you'll be able to…"

"Doctor!" Amy gasped, seeing them on the monitor.

"Angel!" Rory's eyes widened, he could tell, he could tell just looking at her that the Doctor hadn't managed to cure her yet. He could see the strain on her face, the reflectiveness in her eyes as she tried to hold tears back, how stiff she was, that she was doing all she could to keep the pain in, either to not worry the Doctor and distract him, or to try and just appear strong, he didn't know.

~8~

"You're dying…and you stopped to _change_?!" Melody looked at them, stunned.

"He insisted," Angel sighed.

She had agreed for one reason only...she knew it was a distraction technique for him. He had to be able to pretend that everything was fine...until it wasn't, until he couldn't anymore. He was trying to fool himself into thinking she'd survive, that she'd be ok, that she'd survive somehow…if she looked fine and acted fine then she _was_ fine. But she knew, as much strength as thinking of her daughter gave her...it wouldn't hold the effects of the poison off for long. So she tried, as hard as she could, to stay still, to stay standing, to stay 'fine.' Because the moment she let on how badly she was hurting, she knew the Doctor would lose it. Right now she was focusing on two things, staying strong and keeping the Doctor from feeling her pain.

The Doctor put his arm around her waist, closing his eyes a moment to rest his forehead to her temple, able to feel her shaking in effort, feel her stiffening beside him, and kissed her temple as well, before they walked down the steps, playing with his cane in his other hand, "You should always waste time when you don't have any, right Amelia?" he looked at the robot, ignoring Melody as her eyes narrowed, her gaze flickering to his arm around Angel, "Time is not the boss of you. That's Rule 408 Rory!" he called a bit, eyeing the Robo-Amy, "Amelia Pond, judgment death machine. Why am I not surprised?" he opened the top of his cane to reveal a sonic end, "Sonic cane."

"Are you serious?" Melody eyed him.

"Never knowingly," he murmured, his jaw tensing, only Angel's reassuring squeeze around his middle keeping him from turning around, he had to focus on the robot, that was where the sonic blip was coming from, where the TARDIS had tracked Amy and Rory to and Angel would want them safe...and...he wanted them with him, the Ponds had proved invaluable assets and...if there was any chance to save Angel, he would need them with him, "Never knowingly be serious, Rule 27 Rory," he eyed the robot's eyes, "I hope you're writing these down," he looked down at his cane, if only for an excuse not to deal with the woman who looked like River that he could see in the reflection of the robot's eyes and her questions.

He knew Melody hadn't done any of the things that made him furious with River, but still, knowing she was _capable_ of killing Angel, of doing so so brutally and easily...to poison her and not show a shred of regret...that she was, for all intents and purposes, killing her right now, and that she would do much worse in the future...it made it hard for him to even _look_ at her. But Angel had _insisted_ they help her, had grabbed his lapels and begged him before they stepped out of the TARDIS NOT to hurt her.

She really was far too forgiving.

"Oh, it's a robot, with 423 life signs inside. A robot worked by tiny people," he looked at Angel, "Love it," and back at the robot, "But how did you all get in there though? Bigger on the inside?" he peered at it a moment before looking at his cane, "No…basic miniaturization sustained by compression field. Oh, watch what you eat it'll get you every time. Amy, if you and Rory are ok, signal me," a moment later a second sonic device was picked up on his cane, "Thanking you."

~8~

"How'd you do that?" the captain looked back at Amy as she held the sonic in hand.

~8~

"AH!" Angel grabbed her leg, the Doctor moving instantly to scoop her into his arms as he had in the TARDIS to keep her from falling to the floor.

"Sorry!" he called, lifting her, "Her leg went to sleep," he shouted to the others, "Just had a quick left leg power nap," he moved her over to the steps, "Forgot you had one scheduled, didn't you eh?" he smiled at her tensely, gently placing her onto the steps, "Better sit down," he cupped her cheek a moment, kneeling before her, looking at her intently, his back to Melody, "I think I heard the right one yawning," he dropped a kiss onto her forehead when...

Melody made a break for the doors and Robo-Amy turned, firing another blue-white beam at her.

"Stop!" Angel shouted, rubbing her chest as she pleaded with the robot, "Please, don't...dont hurt her!"

The robot stopped but the blue-white field around Melody remained, keeping her frozen in place as the robot turned to the Time Lords, tilting its head to eye them, "Why would you care? She's the woman who kills you."

"I'm still...here," she wheezed, the Doctor moving to sit beside her, his one arm around her, taking her hand in his other, squeezing it as he felt her panting to breathe.

"You're _dying_."

"Well, at least she's not a time-travelling, shape-shifting, robot operated by miniaturized cross people!" the Doctor glared at it a moment, when Angel closed her eyes, squeezing his hand, calming him, "Which…I have got to admit…I didn't see coming."

"Me either," Angel tried to joke, glancing at Melody and then the robot, "Why are you...trying to hurt her?"

"She's Melody Pond," the robot replied, "According to our records..." it was silent a moment, before sighing, "The woman who kills the Angel."

The Doctor tensed, feeling himself starting to shake at those words. He couldn't help but think back to Octavian's words in the forest, how River would kill someone very special, a hero to many…he closed his eyes a moment, disgust filling him, he'd been so daft then, so...stupid. He'd thought Octavian meant HIM, and then remembering Angel...he'd assumed that River would try to kill HIM for choosing Angel over her, had _hoped_ that was what it was. Because River hadn't killed him or Angel yet, not in the adventures they'd shared and, remembering Angel, he had sworn he would never EVER let River get close enough to do that, to kill Angel, so it HAD to be him.

And that was another thing he smacked himself about, seeing it now...he hadn't known Mels was Melody/River, he'd let her get too close and Angel was suffering because of it. And he felt sick, truly sick, to know that this...this was the moment the Teselecta was talking about, this was the moment River killed Angel, or tried to or something because he HAD to stop it! He could barely breathe thinking how he'd basically allowed his Mate's murderer to travel with them, to wander the TARDIS, to get so close to him…

He dreaded to think this was the moment that River killed the Angel, why else was the Teselecta still there? Why else would they be so after Melody? They had gone after Hitler, clearly they were after terrible people, and they were gunning for Melody now...this HAD to be the moment where Melody tried to kill Angel! And he had to stop it, he could completely agree with them needing to stop it...

"But _I'm_ the Angel," Angel's voice cut into his thoughts, "Not YOU. Why...do you care?"

"Throughout history many criminals have gone unpunished throughout their lifetimes," the robot replied, "Time travel has responsibilities."

The Doctor frowned at that, he thought the Teselecta was just a robot that was trying to stop the bad events from happening...but this, he was not expecting this, "What? You got yourselves time travel so you decided to punish dead people?"

"We don't _kill_ them, we extract them near the end of their established timelines."

"And then what?" Angel frowned, a pit forming in her stomach as she curled up a bit, wrapping her hands around her stomach, the Doctor's arm moving to her back, rubbing it comfortingly.

"Give them hell."

The Doctor tensed, feeling Angel flinch at that, and glared at the robot, he felt this, every time humans proved how much potential they also had to do evil instead of good, it was one thing for HIM to want revenge on Melody Pond, it was HIS Mate that was under attack, it was another for those who had nothing to do with it to get involved and take it upon themselves to alter time.

"I'd ask you who you think you are but I think the answer is pretty obvious," he said, a hard edge in his voice, "So who do you think _I_ am? Huh?" he shook his head, "Better question, who do you think _Angel_ is? You think she'd want this for anyone, even her murderer?"

No, she would not. It was being proven even now.

He pointed at Melody, "The woman who killed the Angel," well that settled it, he was never ever letting the woman near Angel ever again, "It sounds like you've got her biography in there, I'd _love_ a peek," and he did, because he wasn't about to lose her so soon, not again, not ever, timelines be damned. If they had anything in there that could help him save her, he wanted to see it.

"Our records office is sealed to the public," the robot replied, "Foreknowledge is dangerous."

"She'll be _dead_ in 3 minutes! There isn't much foreknowledge left," the Doctor glared, he only had 3 minutes to save her before it was too late for him to do anything except end Melody before he himself died. Yes, Angel would NOT want that sort of violence against even her murderer, but HE was NOT Angel and when she wasn't with him...he wasn't himself.

He wasn't the Doctor.

He was something...else, something darker, something uncontrollable without Angel there.

"Psychic," Angel wheezed, "Might be something...I already know."

"Sorry can't do that," the robot replied.

~8~

Inside the robot, Amy spun the captain on his chair to face her, "That man is my best friend, the dying woman is my husband's, and that woman who killed her is somehow our daughter..."

"So you give them _anything_ they want, do you understand?" Rory glared from behind Amy, rising to his full height.

"If they're family, they have privileges," the young man called.

The captain sighed and typed something into Amy's wrist device as she was closest, "Say: access personal records the Angel."

Amy lifted the wrist device, hesitating only a moment, not sure if she wanted to know what was in those files...when Rory put his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it. She took a breath, "Access personal records the Angel."

~8~

"Records available," the robot stated.

The Doctor looked up, a bit surprised, before glancing at Angel. She nodded and he wrapped his arm around her waist, helping her up and over to it, "Question," he began, moving Angel so that she was before him, resting against him, his arms around her, keeping her standing up and strong, "Someone's trained Melody Pond to kill me, got a bit skewed, another good word, in the middle though, but the point still stands, the question is...who? Who gave that order?"

The robot blinked, "The Silence."

"What is the Silence?" of course they knew who the Silence were, those aliens, they remembered them but...what were they exactly, "Why is it called that? What does it mean?"

"The Silence is not a species. It is a religious order or movement. Their core belief is that silence will fall when the question is asked."

"What...question?" Angel wheezed, starting to shake as the Doctor wrapped his arms around her more.

"The first question. The oldest question in the Universe. Hidden in plain sight."

"Yes, but what _is_ the question?" the Doctor asked.

A moment later the robot replied, "Unknown."

"Oh, well, fat lot of use that is you big ginge," he glared, growing frustrated, none of that was helping him save Angel, "Call yourselves a record…"

"AHHH!" Angel slumped forward suddenly, nearly hitting the floor as she grabbed her stomach, only his arms managing to keep her from falling completely, though he did end up sinking to the floor with her, "Ahh…" she whimpered in pain, "It hurts..."

The Doctor scanned her quickly with the sonic, "Kidneys are always the first to quit," he whispered, kissing the side of her head, tears in his eyes, feeling himself starting to shake at how much pain she was in, it was starting to break through to him now.

And still...Angel tried to smile at him, "At least it...wasn't the lungs...this time."

~8~

"Ok, she's finished," the young woman reported.

"Oh my God," Amy gasped, turning to Rory and hugging him tightly as he stared, stunned, at the monitor, watching as the Doctor cradled Angel in his arms.

"Well then, let's do what we do," the captain replied, "Give her hell."

Rory closed his eyes, knowing what was likely coming...and honestly not sure if he wanted to stop it, as terrible as it was...

~8~

The field around Melody turned red and she cried out in pain, twitching in agony as she was tortured.

The Doctor glanced over from the woman in his arms, his jaw tight, making not a move to help Melody though his grip on his cane tightened, sorely tempted to strengthen the beam…his Mate was dying in his arms, she wouldn't regenerate, she would truly die...and it was all THAT woman's fault! He just...

"Rory!" Angel gasped, breathing hard, tears in her eyes, "Amy...can you...hear me?"

~8~

"Yeah?" Amy looked up.

"You can talk to her," the captain handed her the microphone they'd been using.

Amy snatched it up, "What do we do? This is me, this is me actually talking, what do we do?"

~8~

"Stop them," Angel pleaded, half-sobbing as she heard Melody screaming.

"Angel…" the Doctor began, looking down at her, he knew she'd try to stop this...but...Melody...everything she'd done...

Angel shook her head, "This _isn't_ right," she told him, looking up at him actually starting to cry, "She's their _daughter_ ," the Doctor closed his eyes at that, understanding now, understanding why Angel was so hell-bent to save Melody, to make them stop...not only was the woman someone's daughter, but she was suffering, like their own daughter...and what's more...she was _their companions'_ daughter...that wasn't just Melody Pond, that was Amy and Rory's daughter being tortured, "Stop them!" she begged, closing her eyes tightly, "Amy, Rory...stop them please!"

She couldn't bear it, the screams, the pain she'd seen in Melody's expression. All she could think about was Ayla, what had the Silence done to her? Why was Melody there when _Ayla_ had been taken? What if what happened to Melody was...something Ayla hadn't survived? All she could see was someone's daughter, her companion's daughter, her niece...being tormented and hurt...her own daughter had been taken, had probably had horrible things done to her, and now someone else's daughter was suffering. It was too much, she just wanted this to stop!

She didn't want her death to turn the people she cared about most into murderers!

"How?" Robo-Amy asked, "How is she our daughter!?"

Angel's eyes snapped open and the Doctor's widened in horror, seeing the golden swirling of the Vortex in her, as she gasped, the energy consuming her, "DNA was extrapolated from the dropped pistol Amy used in the warehouse and a torch Rory had left behind. The DNA of our companions, artificially combined and grown to create Melody Pond, someone we couldn't harm due to her parentage..."

"What?" the Doctor breathed, shaking his head, not sure what was happening, "How do you know that?"

"Melody Pond was created due to the disappearance of the Silence's prime subject," she groaned, a pained expression on her face as the swirling grew brighter, "Ayla…" she breathed, closing her eyes tightly, shaking worse than before, "Doctor help! Make it stop!"

He pulled her closer, recognizing the tone of her voice, the same one that she had used on Mars. And he realized what had just happened...

Angel was _seeing the past_.

She was accessing too much of her Vortex power too quickly. The poison was breaking down the natural barriers that kept her powers in check till she was ready to use them, the part of her power that allowed her to see the future...it was allowing her to see the past as well, Melody's past…the past that _could_ have been their own daughter's he realized if her words were true, which he did not doubt they were.

"Amy stop them!" he shouted, knowing he had to stop them hurting Melody to get the Vortex to stop hurting Angel, knowing she was reacting to the situation, the sonic was going to be no help, the frequency would either blow up the robot or trap Melody in pain forever.

"How?!" Amy called.

"Just do it!" he snapped as Angel started to spasm in his arms, Melody's screams were getting to her, they were affecting her, making the subconscious part of her mind want to use the Vortex to help but she couldn't focus enough to actually use it...

~8~

"What are you doing?" Rory asked as Amy pulled out the sonic.

"Pointing and thinking, just get ready to run," she aimed it at her wrist device, disabling the green and making it red.

The Antibodies started to rise in the room, "You are unauthorized," they stated, "Your death will now be implemented."

"Ok captain, release her now or I take down the whole Teselecta," Amy threatened.

"Amy…" Rory began.

"You can't," the captain nearly smirked.

She leaned forward, " _They_ can," she hit the sonic again and _all_ the wrist devices turned red, "Rory go!" they turned and ran.

"All privileges withdrawn," the Antibodies stated.

"What have you done!?" the young man shouted as the crew struggled to get their devices to green again.

"All life forms prepare for immediate decease," Amy and Rory entered the lift, "You will experience a tingling sensation and then death," one turned to the young woman and strangled her.

"Shut it down!" the captain ordered.

"I'm trying!" the young man called.

"Shut everything down!"

Everything shut down...and Melody was released.

~8~

"Please…" Angel called out to Melody as she lay weakly in the Doctor's arms, the golden glow fading as Melody was freed and no longer in danger, "Amy and Rory...need help..."

The Doctor swallowed hard, knowing they would need Melody's help to get their companions back, Angel was in no state to do anything, "Don't run," he whispered to Melody though he couldn't bring himself to look at her, if he did...he honestly wasn't sure what he would do, "We know you're scared, but never run when you're scared, rule 7."

"Please…" Angel closed her eyes tightly as a tear fell from them.

~8~

"Remain calm," an Antibody called as it worked on a struggling black man, "While your life is extracted."

Amy ran out of the lift, past Rory who had stopped short, "Run! Keep running!"

"Where?!" he demanded.

"I don't know, just run!" she pushed him on.

~8~

"Mother ship!" the captain called into the comm. from the control room, "Mother ship, get us out of here. Emergency beam up now. Every one!" they were all beamed up.

"Only two life forms remain," an Antibody reported, "This will be rectified."

~8~

Amy stopped running, looking around the corridor, now empty, "Where did everyone go?"

"How can they just disappear?" Rory asked.

Amy's eyes widened, seeing the Antibodies approaching, and held up the comm. she'd kept hold of, "Doctor can you hear us? Angel?! Doctor help us!" they backed away, "Angel help us! Doctor, Angel, please!"

~8~

Angel looked at the Doctor who was holding her tightly as she gasped for breath, Melody just sitting on a chair, looking bored, uncaring of her 'parents'' plight. The Doctor wasn't sure if her complete disregard for the situation was from the fact that she had apparently been created from DNA taken ages ago so what need was there for her parents now? Or the fact that she was trying to stay there and make sure Angel actually died this time. He couldn't see why she would still be there with the robot unable to stop her leaving?

"Help them," Angel breathed, her voice weaker as she squeezed the Doctor's hand that was curled in her own feebly, barely able to muster the strength to move, "Please…"

He shook his head, tears in his eyes, "I'm _not_ leaving you alone with _her_ ," he glared at Melody, really having Angel in his arms and not wanting to leave her alone as she...died...like he had in the Crucible last time...being the only thing keeping him from going after the woman.

"What's the...worst she can do?" she tried to joke, her thumb stroking the back of his knuckles, feeling faint scars on them like his last self had, trying to keep him calm, "Kill me?" she swallowed hard, "We both know...it's too late for that."

"Don't say that," he shook his head, a tear falling from his eyes, "Please don't say that, _please_ ," he begged, sniffling, "I can't lose you Angel."

She could only give him a small smile, "Save them," she whispered, "Please..." she tilted her head to the side, trying to keep her eyes open and on him, "There's nothing...you can do for ME...but you...you can save THEM."

He nearly cried, hearing the words she had used last time she was dying, when the Earth had been taken and he'd nearly given up, "I'll save you this time," he swore, cupping her cheek, stroking her cheek.

"Look at you," Melody remarked, rolling her eyes, "You're dying and you still care about them."

"Doctor help," Robo-Amy called, "Angel help us. Please help us."

"It's impressive I'll give you that."

"It's not impressive," the Doctor snapped, even though it was...Angel dying and still caring about others, but in a way, it wasn't impressive because that was HER, "It's called being a decent human being!"

Melody scoffed, "She's NOT a human being."

"And what does that say about YOU?" he glared, "You're biologically more human than her, and she's got a FAR more human soul than you will EVER have!"

If Angel's words were to be taken literally, which he did, Melody was like...like Jenny, someone created from the DNA of someone else. Whereas Jenny was only from HIS DNA, Melody was created from Amy and Rory's DNA.

Melody started to smirk, "And how do you know I'm not part Time Lord?" she raised an eyebrow, "My caregivers DID have access to Time Lord DNA after all."

"No," Angel swallowed hard, squeezing the Doctor's hand, feeling his anger rising at the mention and reminder that River Song in the future had been _well aware_ of what was happening to their daughter and hadn't said, "She's lying..."

Melody rolled her eyes, "And how would YOU know?"

The Doctor, believing Angel entirely, being psychic, just grabbed his sonic cane and flashed it at Melody, smirking and holding it up, the readings proving it, "100 percent human."

Melody's eyes narrowed at that.

Angel bit her lip, holding in another groan, "River please..."

"Again!" she got up, exasperated, "Who _is_ this River?"

"Please help...save Amy and Rory. Just...help them."

Melody shook her head, "Why should I?" she had already been created, already been raised, it wasn't like she _needed_ them.

Angel just looked over at her, tears blurring her vision, "They're your parents," she ground out, "Do you need...another reason?"

Melody looked at her long and hard, not happy with the girl actually managing to _get_ to her like that, "Oh fine," she grumbled, unable to help thinking about all the times Amy had been there for her growing up, "If it'll stop your whining," she turned and strode towards the TARDIS, reaching out to the doors which were open a crack only for them to slam shut in her face. She let out a frustrated breath and turned to the Doctor, "Well, what's this about then?"

"She doesn't like you," the Doctor replied, throwing her a hard look, "And with good reason…"

"Doctor," Angel took his hand again, "Go...help her..."

"I'm _not_ leaving you," he told her.

"Well then get the doors open," Melody rolled her eyes.

"You just _poisoned_ my _Mate_ and _shot_ our _TARDIS_!" he glared at her, not even able to register in his mind that all his shouting all the things he'd been saying from the beginning, how close he'd been to Angel...it meant River in the future would have always known that Angel was his Mate, "You think I'll just let you back in there?!"

"Well it's either you leave her with me or I go and get them since you're so adamant about not leaving her," Melody countered, moving to squat down across from the Doctor, beside Angel even as the Doctor pulled her closer to his arms. He seemed torn about that, seeing the point, as Melody smirked, "You'd best head out, I don't know how to pilot that stupid box anyway."

"I won't be able to teach you all that in an instant!"

Angel groaned, a ripple of pain hitting her, before she reached out a weak hand towards Melody.

"What are you doing?" Melody shied away.

Angel took a pained breath, "Trust me...just... _once_ ," she pleaded, resting her hand on Melody's forehead and closing her eyes, concentrating on all she knew about piloting TARDISes and letting it drift over to Melody's mind. It was similar to when the Doctor head-butted Craig...there were subtler methods but only when one really knew the topic at hand in enough detail to send a large enough chunk of it to someone else but it had to be done with enormous focus.

She could only hope that she had enough time…

~8~

Amy and Rory reached the eye of the robot, hitting the button on the wall but the shields didn't open. Antibodies appeared behind them, "You are unauthorized," they slowly turned, "Your death will now be implemented," electricity crackled from prods extending from their tentacles.

"I love you," Amy turned to Rory.

"I love you too," he told her, hugging her tightly...when a wheezing sound started and the TARDIS appeared around them.

"Doctor?" Amy called, looking around, "Doctor you did it. He did it!" they started to laugh but stopped when they saw _Melody_ step out from behind the console.

"I seem to be able to fly her," she said quietly, "Angel…she showed me how. She taught me. The Doctor said, as a sister of the TARDIS, Angel could share the information more easily."

"Where is she?" Rory asked her, tensing and moving in front of Amy protectively, Melody just gave him a look, "Where?!"

Melody actually flinched at the sound of his voice and just turned, ready to try and fly the TARDIS back...when the console sparked, "Ow!" she glared up at the rotor, "What's wrong now!? You worked before!"

"It's because she _had_ to," Rory remarked, rushing up to the console, Amy frowning as she followed him, watching as he flicked a few knobs and twisted a few buttons...actually looking like he knew what he was doing.

It was the only reason the TARDIS had let the woman pilot her given the natural dislike the box had for 'River Song,' because she had to have known that the woman was flying her to save THEM. But they were back now and they didn't need Melody to help any longer, her temporary truce was over.

"Hold on," Rory muttered to them, not looking at Melody at all as he grabbed a lever and pulled it.

He didn't know how to fly the TARDIS exactly, Angel had actually offered to let him know everything about the TARDIS when she first started teaching him how to fly the box. She had apparently made that offer to all the past companions, to essentially download the information into him, but he'd refused, he...he wanted the bonding experience between them, her actually taking the time to teach him how to fly the box properly and had been a bit worried that she'd be mad at him for it, that she'd think he was being stupid or that he'd prove to be incapable of learning or something. And Angel, he'd realized how foolish he'd been to think that, as Angel had just squealed and hugged him tightly, cheering about how happy she was that he'd said no! She was always surprising him like that, but she'd been thrilled that she got to actually TEACH him to fly too!

So he didn't know exactly how to fly the box, but he knew enough to get the box to the point where she could fly herself with just a bit of guidance from him. Which was what he was doing now, the box working with him, probably happy that her 'pretty one' was handling her instead of Melody...

~8~

Amy and Rory knelt on one side of Angel as she laid on the steps inside the restaurant, the Doctor half-lying beside her on the other side with her wrapped in his arms, Melody standing a few feet away, "You can't die now," Amy told her softly, "I _know_ you don't die now."

"Doctor, what do we do?" Rory asked the man, tears in his eyes as he held Angel's chilled hand, it hurt to look at her, to see her struggling to keep her eyes open and herself breathing, "Come on. How do we help her?"

"I'm sorry...Rory," Angel breathed, "You can't..."

"No one can help us," the Doctor agreed with a nod, his head right beside Angel's as he looked at her intently, unwilling to take his eyes off her, unwilling to let anything but her face be the last thing he saw.

"Us?" Melody called, stiffening, a bit startled at that word.

Rory frowned a moment when Amy gasped in realization, "The Mating…when she dies…"

"I die," the Doctor nodded, sounding...accepting, almost...welcoming...of that.

"No…" Angel whimpered.

"Hey, hey," he smiled down at her, tears in his eyes at her suffering, "It's alright," he gently stroked her cheek, turning her head to look at him, "It'll be fine."

"Ayla…" she breathed, "She...needs...you..."

"She needs you too."

Angel just shook her head, this wasn't what she wanted, this was the one thing she did NOT want from the Mating. She did NOT want _him_ to _die_ because of her, because she wasn't strong enough to keep herself safe. Groaning, she reached into a small pocket on her dress and pulled out a small band with ancient writing on it, a bracelet she'd kept on her person ever since seeing the Doctor kiss River.

The Doctor's eyes widened, seeing the engravings, recognizing what the bracelet was, "Where did you get that?!"

"What is it?" Amy asked softly, hearing the horrified tone in his voice.

"It's a Dampening Bracelet," he replied, glancing at the band Angel was trying to put in his hand, "It blocks the Mating bonds…it's the _only_ time a Mate can last without the other…" they had been _banned_ on Gallifrey, considered practically _sacrilege_ , "Where did you _get_ this?"

"Standard issue...for all Daleks...in the War," she said, her words starting to slur, "For those taken…as slaves and hostages…didn't need the Mates to realize…" she pressed it into his hands firmer, as firmly as she could, "Take it."

"No," he shook his head, frantic.

He didn't want to _think_ about what it meant that she _had_ one of the bracelets, nor about the fact that she _carried it on her_ as he was sure she hadn't before he'd regenerated. He squeezed her hand, he had to remind himself that while she had it, she hadn't _worn_ it…which, to be honest, made him feel worse as she was privy to _everything_ he'd thought and felt, few of which, he admitted with loathing, concerned her since he'd regenerated and before he'd remembered.

"Please," a tear fell from Angel's eyes, "I don't want you…to die…because of me…"

He smiled at her again, tears falling from his eyes as he stroked her cheek, his voice breaking with emotion, "You're dying. You're going to die. And I'd rather die _with you_ than live without you. _Not for anyone_ …"

Melody rolled her eyes at that.

She blinked, "Ayla…"

He sniffled, knowing that he just...couldn't. No matter how much he loved his daughter, he...he had too much to make up for, he just...he _couldn't_ , he couldn't leave Angel, he _couldn't_. It would hurt too much. He wanted his daughter back yes...but right now...living on past Angel...he couldn't do it. It would hurt too much to live on without Angel, he wouldn't be able to do it, Mating bonds blocked or not, he wouldn't be able to survive that. The bracelet may block the Mating bond but it didn't block the emotion behind it, the love. He'd make it all of one minute (if he really pushed himself) before he ended up ripping that bracelet off him and joining her. He just...he'd left her for too long, he couldn't leave her again, no now, not right now, not ever probably.

"Ponds?" he looked at them, pleading with them silently.

Amy and Rory nodded, "We'll find her," Amy promised.

"We'll take care of her, I swear," Rory agreed. They had no idea how they'd do it, but they would if it was the last thing they did. They'd get to Jack and Martha and the others, and they _would not stop_ till they found Ayla again and took care of her and raised her with all the love her parents had between them. The love that even now was keeping them together.

Melody frowned, watching them, watching the Doctor's breathing slow as Angel's eyes fluttered closed, her hand that was holding the bracelet slackening its hold, dropping the metal band to the floor...before his eyes shut as well. She had been told of the Time Lords, of the dangerous Doctor, the infamous Time Lord by her caregivers. How he was dangerous and needed to be stopped, she'd been trained and raised to kill him, had found herself all too willing to save the Universe from the madman.

But then...she'd met Amy. Her caregivers had known that Amy would one day travel with the Doctor, that she would be their best way to get to him, to get closer to him. They had intended for her to get close to Amelia, knowing the girl would have issues letting go of the Doctor, of meeting him, that she'd talk about him, reveal secrets even as a child. That she'd reveal more once she had grown up and travelled with him, and who else would she brag to but her best friend? But in knowing Amy, in hearing those stories...her views on the man had changed.

Yes, he was dangerous...but she _lived_ for danger. He brought chaos and destruction, just as she knew she could bring, as she found herself loving creating. Her caregivers had done a perfect job, too good a job, in raising her as a psychopath, who else would she come to associate with? Who else would she obsess over? Who else would she want all for herself but a man just as mad as her? Hearing all those stories Amy had said...hearing Amy herself dreaming of the man, talking of him, making games around him...she'd found herself obsessing over him too, wanting him badly, more than she wanted anything in her life.

And there was one issue standing in the way.

Angel.

She knew about the Doctor's precious _Mate_ , had been told all about her by her caregivers. Ever since she had begun her training, they had been a pair, the Doctor and the Angel, according to her caregivers inseparable, but the DOCTOR was meant to be her target, his Mate too much of a pacifist in their eyes. Well, that was ridiculous, wasn't it? Why would she kill the man she wanted? No, it made much more sense in her mind to target the Angel instead. ANGEL was the one standing in her way, with Angel gone...the Doctor would be hers. So she had gone along with the plans of her caregivers, pretended that she'd kill the Doctor, and gone for poor Angel instead.

And now it seemed like it was all coming along perfectly! Ohh, only a few more moments and the Angel would be no more and then the Doctor...well...he'd be heartsbroken, and she'd be right there to pick up the pieces. He'd be mad, yes, she didn't doubt it, but she was sure she could _persuade_ him to see that she'd done him a favor. All she'd heard about HIM growing up...well...he deserved a woman that was more...well, _more_ than Angel was. And then maybe, just maybe, SHE could be his Mate as well. Because really, what did that even mean? To be Mated? That they were married? She could live with that, she could _certainly_ live with that, it was all she had dreamed about, marrying him.

Amy frowned, tears in her eyes, as they watched the Doctor pull Angel to him, and clutched his hand more, feeling the hearts beat in his wrist slowing. She looked at Rory who shook his head, Angel was either gone or very nearly. She took a breath and closed her eyes, feeling the tears falling, shaking her head...before she felt anger course through her.

She turned around, glaring at Melody, "How _could_ you?!" she demanded.

Melody rolled her eyes, though something about all this was starting to not sit right with her, "I see I'm not the only one with a flair for dramatic," she remarked, eyeing the Doctor as he laid there beside Angel, his eyes closed, "What's he done? Fallen asleep?"

Amy shook her head, slightly disgusted with this girl who claimed to be her daughter, "He's _dying_!" she stood up to face her.

"How?" she frowned, confused, "I poisoned _her_."

"They're connected," Rory told her, standing beside his wife, "When she dies, he dies."

Melody's eyes widened at that bit of information, she hadn't been told _that_ …

"Oh my God," Rory shook his head, seeing the expression on her face, "You're only worried NOW aren't you?!" he looked truly sick at that, that she was only starting to be concerned now that _the Doctor_ was in danger too and not Angel! It was disgusting, "If you're really our daughter then that woman," he pointed to Angel, "She's your aunt and you..."

"She ISN'T my aunt," Melody spat, glaring back at him, "She's NOT your sister, she's not even the same species!"

THAT was disgusting to her, that her 'father' had deemed the Angel of all people to be his 'sister.' She knew that her 'parents' saw the Time Lords as family, but she did NOT see it like that at all. They were her parents, technically, biologically yes, genetically. The Angel was NOT related to her at all, the Doctor was NOT related to her either, they were aliens, her parents were humans, she was human, therefore they were NOT related to the Time Lords in _any_ way.

They were NOT family to her, the Doctor was HERS, and Angel was just the girl that was in the way.

"Family doesn't end with blood!" Rory snapped, feeling truly angry at the woman, "God, how could you possibly be OUR daughter!?" he was just...he was disgusted, truly, at how little she cared for Angel, aunt or not, his sister or not, it didn't matter, "Angel is a good person! She doesn't deserve this!"

"She tried to keep me from existing!" Melody shouted back at him, making him frown in confusion, "I was supposed to be conceived on your honeymoon," she told them, "Why else do you think my caregivers were scanning you, mummy dearest?" she shot a glare at Amy.

Amy blinked, startled, realizing now...the Silence, when they'd taken her...those scans they'd been looking at when she'd woken up in their hold...had been pregnancy scans. They had WANTED _her_ baby...but she hadn't had a baby to give, that was why 'she wouldn't do.' She let out a breath, realizing that...Angel had kept them too busy to do anything on the TARDIS, yes...she'd kept River or Melody or whoever she was from being conceived in that way but...equally...she'd kept HER from being the target of the Silence instead.

And as a result...Angel had been taken, Ayla kidnapped, instead of her and Melody. Her daughter, the true child that she would have conceived and carried inside her, had been spared that fate. SHE had been the one they'd been talking about, SHE had been the one that was of no use to them not pregnant.

Amy shook her head and strode up to her, "She did that to save you," she said, but Melody scoffed, "And after everything she's done…" she swallowed hard, "Everything she will do for you?" she shook her head, "She saved your life just before, she got them to stop hurting you! You were _killing her_ and _she_ stopped them _hurting_ _you_!"

"And River Song," Rory nodded, "Everything she's done for River too…"

Amy nodded, looking back at Melody, "She's forgiven her for _everything_. Everything! When the Doctor couldn't remember he'd Mated to Angel, when River tried to manipulate him, when she was in danger, Angel did _everything_ to help her, she got stuck in an exploding TARDIS nearly 6 billion times and you…you're just going to let her _die_!?"

"Who's River Song?" Melody asked, almost dreading the answer.

Amy turned to the robot of herself that was still just standing there, knowing Melody wouldn't believe her or Rory if they didn't show her entirely, "Are you still working 'cos I'm a relative. Access files on River Song."

"Records available," the robot replied.

"Show me her. Show me River Song."

They watched as the robot turned into Melody, though in the garb they had on file of her. Melody's eyes widened as she looked between the robot and the Time Lords on the ground. She shook her head, thinking about what they had called her, all of them had called her River Song...that meant...that meant they knew her in the future as River Song...she was there in the future...as this River Song person and, thinking about the future she realized something. They already knew her as River...which meant those adventures were in THEIR past but HER future...and if she met past versions of them in the future...maybe there would be future versions of them as well...

And that couldn't happen if the Doctor died because of Angel.

Melody slowly reached into another pocket of her vest and pulled out a small vial.

"What's that?" Amy eyed the clear liquid warily.

"A premade cure to the poison of the Judas Tree," she replied, looking at it to Angel, she had been given it because of her nail polish. If she accidently nicked herself...she needed the cure. It took ages to make, but...every good assassin was always prepared.

"Well give it to her!" Rory shouted, his eyes wide.

Melody was silent, slowly walking to the Time Lords' sides and kneeling down. She reached out, feeling Angel's weak pulse, barely there, and then the Doctor's, just as weak, just as slow…it was _true_ , they really _were_ connected…

Now she realized, if Angel died, the Doctor HAD to die as well, he had no choice in the matter. It was something that couldn't be helped. And if she wanted the Doctor...he had to be alive. And for him to live...as much as she hated to admit it...Angel had to live as well.

She looked at the vial, "Well then…can't marry him if he's dead can I?" she reasoned with a small smile.

She'd just have to find another way to get rid of the girl.

She tipped the solution into Angel's mouth, managing to get the last of it down the girl's throat and setting her hand down on the ground, her fingers curling around something metal right by Angel's hand...when she collapsed back onto the ground in agonizing pain.

"River!"

~8~

Amy and Rory leaned over Melody as she blearily woke up to find herself in a very white room, "Hey," Amy said quietly, "Hey."

"Where am I?" she squinted.

"Your safe now, stabilized."

"Apparently your nerve endings seized up from the Teselecta's beams, cutting off the pain receptors," Rory explained, his mouth in a thin line, trying to be calm and rational about this, trying to be considerate of the fact that the woman had given Angel the cure just in time despite being the one to have poisoned her in the first place, "Once you calmed down, they opened up and flooded your system with all the pain you'd been ignoring."

Melody nodded, blinking a bit...when something caught the corner of her eye, she looked over to see the Doctor sitting on a bed beside hers, Angel lying on it, the girl unconscious, his gaze intently on the Time Lady, holding her hand.

"I said everything would be alright," he whispered, squeezing her hand, "Rule 1…" he sighed, rubbing his forehead, sounding just...devastated, "The Doctor lies."

"Rule 3," Angel spoke quietly as she slowly woke as well, "Never to me."

The Doctor smiled down at her, reaching out a hand to stroke her cheek, moving a strand of hair behind her ear, "Hello," he whispered to her.

"Hi," she murmured, blinking as she tried to wake up more.

"They just need to rest," a young nurse in an all white habit called, not even managing to draw his attention away from his Mate, "They'll be absolutely fine."

"No," he looked at Angel with such a soft, loving look in his eyes, " _She_ will be amazing. Just...divine."

Angel laughed sleepily at that, "I prefer fantastic."

He just laughed as well.

~8~

Angel was sitting up in the bed of the hospital, the Doctor beside her on the bed, her leaning against him as Amy and Rory sat at the foot, all of them talking quietly...as Melody Pond slept soundly in the bed on the other side of the room, something the Doctor was NOT happy about.

"So…what are we going to do about her?" Amy asked, glancing at Melody, "She tried to kill you Angel."

Angel sighed, "We'll...continue to journey with her, just as in her timeline."

She couldn't help but feel like...it was her fault. It was ALL her fault. She had been trying to prevent this fate for River Song, prevent her kidnapping and her upbringing by the Silence...and it had happened, it had happened worse than she felt it might before she had done anything. Because of Ayla, because of her having been taken first, because of her disappearance, they had needed a back up. River had been created anyway and she could tell that the training and the conditioning was probably worse for the woman because of that. Everything River suffered...it had been because of _her_ actions.

River had suffered twice as much because of her.

River had the life she had, because fo _her_.

She knew that River hated her, had gathered as much from past words and this experience, because SHE was the Doctor's Mate. She was the woman he was with instead of River. She had what River wanted. Because of her, River's life had been hell, that was another reason. And...yet another reason...River clearly knew that she had tried to keep Amy and Rory from conceiving her, but not for the reason she thought. She was trying to spare her companions the sorrow and pain of losing their daughter, like she had, she was trying to spare River the fate she'd seen in her other vision. River saw it only as her trying to keep her from being born.

And she knew...that wasn't the only reason River would hate her in the future, she could just tell...the woman would find so much more to come in the future.

"Why?" Rory frowned, "Angel, she tried to KILL you."

The Doctor sighed, "We have to stick to the established chain of events," he was really starting to _hate_ that rule, "We know we have adventures with River Song in the future…more than what we've seen of her…" he rubbed his forehead, not liking the thought that his Mate's supposed murderer would be travelling with them.

"Yes but…" Angel leaned on him, "Remember what she said in the Library, the last time she saw us, I was _there_."

"Yes, but," the Doctor mocked just a bit, "She also said you weren't sick in her timeline."

"Yes but," she laughed a little, "She only said we never _mentioned_ an illness to her," she leaned back down on his shoulder, "We can hope."

He let out a little laugh and shook his head, "You really are an angel."

Amy and Rory couldn't help but smile at them. Amy had suspected the Doctor and Angel being closer than they appeared ever since Bracewell, but Rory had _known_ they were closer since the Silurians. Both of them knew just how close and how much it killed Angel since 1969. And they had only _glimpsed_ a bit of this when they'd found her in Demons Run, to see them both like that now, warmed them. Amy put her head on Rory's shoulder. Neither of them seemed to notice Angel tense just a bit at the small saying.

"So…River, uh, Melody," Amy began after a bit, "She's Rory and my daughter, but…not really right?"

"How do you figure she's not?" the Doctor looked at them, his arm around Angel, having felt her tense.

He had tried as hard as he could to get the rooms changed, to get Melody out of there but...when the administration refused, he'd sworn to not leave Angel's side at all, not that he was going to anyway. Melody was in NO state at all to attack Angel or try anything, but he wasn't going to risk it.

"You said she was created from my and Amy's DNA," Rory reminded them, "So…Amy was never pregnant with her, never gave birth to her…we…we never got to raise her…" he supposed it made sense why, even being around Melody after having realized she was their daughter, they didn't feel a real...closeness to her. They hadn't conceived her, they hadn't carried her to term, they hadn't given birth to her or held her as a baby or...anything.

"There was once a man, a very wise man," Angel cut in gently, "Who said that you can't extrapolate a relationship from a biological accident. And you know what?" she smiled, "He was wrong. SO wrong. River IS your daughter, you ARE her parents. It doesn't always have to happen in the right order or even in a natural way but it still happens. And it doesn't change a thing."

Amy nodded, thinking about that, thinking about the young blonde woman they had met when they'd gone to Torchwood for help getting Angel back, the girl, Jenny. She'd gotten to talk to her for a minute or two, had really talked to every single person there really. She had heard her story of how she was the Doctor's daughter from some sort of DNA machine, how she viewed Angel as her mother even without the shared DNA. She reached into her pocket and felt the Prayer Leaf Angel had given her still there, she'd carried it with her everywhere since Angel and the Doctor had rushed off, hoping that...if she never wrote 'Melody Pond' on it that maybe...the luck could still be used for its original intended baby, Ayla.

"Angel…" she looked up at her a moment, "Can you help me with something?"

Angel smiled, seeming to know what she was going to ask, and held out her hand.

~8~

The Doctor stood by Melody's bedside, reminding himself once more that she was still _Melody_ , not River. That despite poisoning Angel, she had cured her as well. While that did NOT cancel _anything_ out in his mind, only served to make him more wary of the woman...Angel was still there with him, they were both still alive because Melody had given them the cure to the poison. They were still there, still able to go find their daughter, because of that.

Angel put a hand on his shoulder, rubbing his arm as he looked at her. He smiled, leaning over to press a kiss to Angel's forehead, resting his head to hers a moment. She was already up and about, standing strong...while Melody was lying in bed, a human, not a strong as a Time Lady as terrible as it was to think. He sighed, stepping forward and placing the bright blue, new, TARDIS journal on the bedside. It was only the fact that it would help keep the timelines straight in the future that he gave her that much.

He stepped back, allowing Amy and Rory to look down at their daughter a moment before Amy placed the Prayer Leaf with 'Melody Pond' sewn into it in the Gamma Forest language on top of the book and they turned to leave.

~8~

"So that's it?" Amy asked as she and Rory walked up the stairs of the TARDIS to where the Doctor and Angel were standing by the console, Angel fixing the small hole in the rotor, "We just leave her there?"

"Sisters of the Infinite Schism, greatest hospital in the Universe," the Doctor replied, honestly not able to bring himself to care where they left the girl.

"Yeah, but…she's River… _and_ she's our daughter," Amy said slowly, _still_ trying to get used to the fact that River Song was her daughter.

"It's a mess, I know," Angel walked over to her, hugging her, "She needs time...to herself...to think about her life."

Amy hugged her back, "And _we_ have to find Ayla."

Angel nodded, smiling at her.

"We have too much foreknowledge," the Doctor agreed, they had probably done too much by even calling Melody 'River' so often, creating the woman.

"Even for me," Angel gave a small laugh.

The Doctor looked at a monitor, frowning as it displayed his picture but nothing more, he'd tried to hack into the Teselecta's records, but it seemed the TARDIS hadn't had enough time before the robot completely deactivated, "Dangerous thing, foreknowledge," he sighed.

"Doctor…" Rory said slowly, stepping over to look at the two Time Lords, "River was brainwashed to kill you right…but then she killed Angel instead…"

"Yes…" the Doctor nodded, unsure where this was going.

"That stuff that they put in her head, is that gone now? The River that we know in the future, she's in prison, for murder."

"Whose murder?" Amy asked. They couldn't help but think that Melody wanted the Doctor alive too much to risk killing him by killing Angel.

The Doctor could only smile at that and dash around the console, he was actually...happy. Melody _had_ technically killed Angel, he'd felt it, that one brief moment before death...he'd felt her life flicker...and that flicker...for one brief tiny second, she had been dead. 'River' HAD killed Angel. It was only a matter of time before the authorities caught up with her and threw her in Stormcage for it! He wasn't happy that the child of his companions would be in jail the rest of her life...but he was quite thrilled that the woman who had killed his Mate would be locked away, less chance of her attacking Angel in the future. In the future, with her in prison, she would only get out when they WANTED her out, and he doubted he would want that often, if ever.

No, he didn't ever want to see River Song again, ever, if he could help it. He may be all smiles right now, because his Mate was alive, but the next time he saw River...well, Angel had best hold him back. This adventure...it had only proven a few things to him about the woman. River had known about Ayla, all that time, each and every time they saw her. She knew about Ayla's capture, about her being with the Silence...and that meant she had known Angel was pregnant with her during most of the time. River had known he'd been Mated as well, had tried to steal him away not only from his Mate but his child AND had tried to do it IN FRONT OF ANGEL! In front of his pregnant Mate! That should have been all the proof in the world that he was taken (even if HE hadn't remembered it) and that he was happy, that his Mate was carrying HIS child...but she hadn't cared. She'd treated Angel with no respect, hadn't bothered to help them at all in getting Angel back out of petty jealousy, and she just...the way she treated Angel like SHE had more of a right to be with him than Angel did? It sickened him.

So yes, he was quite glad that River would be locked away fairly soon, he was certain.

As far as he was concerned, the Teselecta's records were right, the warning Octavian had given him had been heeded. He had nothing else to worry about with River Song. She had killed Angel (as much as he wanted to murder her for that), and she would NEVER ever get the chance to hurt Angel again. That was over and done.

Now he could focus on the one thing they still had to be worried about...finding Ayla.

"Will we see her again?" Amy called.

"Maybe she'll come find us one day," Angel replied as the Doctor dashed past her, taking her hand to try and tug her up the stairs.

"Yeah but how? How do people even look for you?"

The Doctor stopped and looked back at her, "Oh, Pond, haven't you figured that one out yet?" and then he continued on, trying to pull Angel with him.

"Go on," Angel ushered him off, "I just want to recheck the hole, make sure the sealant is holding," the Doctor nodded and headed off as Angel walked back to the console, examining the bullet hole. Rory put a hand on her shoulder as he and Amy passed, heading off after the Doctor.

Angel waited till they were out of the room before her smile fell and she closed her eyes, bowing her head as she let out a breath, shaking her head. She took a moment, took a breath, and walked around the console to the monitor, flicking a knob. The image of the Doctor shifted to one of her that the TARDIS had managed to get off the Teselecta, her wearing a black cowboy vest and a blue cowboy hat, standing by a lake, with information that read:

The Angel  
Death Date: 22/04/2011  
Time: 5:02 P.M.  
Location: Lake Silencio, Utah

She reached out and stroked the rotor, "Thank you, for not telling him Sissy."

The rotor hummed slightly, though it sounded quite solemn.

She sighed and got back to checking the Teselecta's records for any mention of Ayla. She supposed there was one good thing that had come out of this encounter with River. She and the Doctor knew now that their daughter had disappeared from wherever the Silence had taken her. She was out there, somewhere, she was alive, she wasn't being held captive, she wasn't being hurt anymore if she had been hurt before, she had managed to get away, escape. But, in a way, that was almost worse, because now, they had no idea where she was in the Universe. Before, they could search for transmissions from the Silence, search for activity from Kovarian, and now...now it was infinitely harder to find one child in the entirety of time and space.

Her gaze flickered to her image and death date, before she closed her eyes, she had seen it...as she was dying, when she'd seen River's past, talking about the Silence, knowing that she was dying...she remembered it, a vision she'd had SO long ago.

She was standing at a lake, there was an astronaut...and she was being fired at...

She swallowed hard, she just wanted her daughter back, to see her once more before it was too late...

~8~

An old man walked around a darkened room in Luna University in 5123, sitting at a desk, "So then, tell me, why do you want to study archaeology?"

"Well to be perfectly honest Professor," River Song leaned forward, smiling, "I'm looking for a good man," she grinned, looking down at the diary in her hands and the metal band on her wrist that she'd grabbed off the floor in Berlin.

An old, metal band just waiting for the day it could be used to free a Time Lord.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Semi-importantish note: I hope this chapter cleared up a bit for you in terms of River :) River is 100 percent human. She's known right from the start about the Mating and about Ayla }:) We see here a few reasons why River will come to hate Angel, mostly because she has what River wants, she thinks Angel was trying to keep her from being born, and her life was harder because of Angel's tampering :( And as sad as it is...that's not even the MAIN reason she hates Angel, but we won't see that till TWORS ;)
> 
> Poor Doctor though :( He truly thinks that the danger of River is past, that THIS is the moment where 'River kills the Angel' :( Oh Doctor, I think he just wants everything to be ok again so badly that he can't see it's not that moment. And, then again...he doesn't know what Angel does, Angel has her vision and the death date information, she knows a worse day is coming and the Doctor has no idea :( So I suppose the question is...would she tell him?
> 
> BUT! Did you notice how things have come full circle in a way? There was a line the Doctor gave to Angel, with River/Melody there to hear it, that is an echo of something he said in his past/River's future. The first meeting with River and the last meeting with River will make much more sense now. The line about how he would rather die with Angel than live without her...he said the very same thing in the Library. I like to think that here, the first official meeting for Melody, when Melody hears it, she's thinking that 'he has to die' because of the Mating. But in the Library, when she finds out he's not fully Mated to Angel and hears 10 say the same thing, the LAST meeting, she realizes it's not a matter of him HAVING to die but him wanting and choosing to die, it's THERE that she realizes he really does truly love Angel that much and it's not the Mating forcing him ;)
> 
> Lol, I hope this chapter cleared up a lot about River and how she came to be, and...quite a few things about Ayla as well }:)


	30. Night Terrors: Nightmares

A young boy sat nervously at the edge of his bed, glancing at the toys scattered around his floor and desk while his mother stood before him, "Bed!" she cried.

"But mum..." he winced as a horrible grinding noise echoed from outside, making him tense, his eyes widen in fear, it sounded like a monster! Like a monster breathing! Coming closer and closer, for him, to eat him!

"George, I won't tell you again. Get into bed. I'm going to be late for work," she sighed, seeing his terrified expression and knew what it was about this time, "It's just the lift, love. How many more times?"

"Don't like it," he pouted.

His mother shook her head and walked from the door to the cupboard, "Well, what do we do with the things we don't like?"

"Put them in the cupboard," he said at the same time as his mother.

"The thing!" he cried, "You have to do the thing, mum," he watched as his mother walked over to the doorway, flipping the light on and off four times, "Five times. It has to be _five times_ ," she sighed but flipped the lights one more time. George closed his eyes, whispering to himself, "Please save me from the monsters. Please save me from the monsters…"

~8~

Unbeknownst to George...his voice flew through space, hurtling through galaxies and stars and supernovas, "Please save me from the monsters…"

~8~

He opened his eyes to see his mother and not space as he'd imagined, "Alright now?" she asked, walking over to him, "Come on, George. There's nothing to be scared of," she rubbed his back and he got under the covers, "Night-night then, love," and gave him a small kiss goodnight before leaving, shutting his door just a crack.

George peered over, able to peek through the crack to the parlor where his father was sitting on an armchair, his mother walking over, "How was he?" his father asked.

"He's in bed at least," she sighed. He picked up his torch and flashed it around the room, casting eerie shadows.

"I'm worried about him. Why's he terrified all the time?"

"He needs help."

"He's got us."

"He needs a doctor."

~8~

"Please save me from the monsters," George's voice echoed through space, flying through the stars, "Please save me from the monsters. Please save me from the monsters…"

Until it reached the TARDIS...

~8~

The Doctor spun around and pulled out his psychic paper from his coat pocket as though it were on fire, looking at the message written on it, "Please save me from the monsters," he put it away and started dashing around the console, "Haven't done this in a while!"

"Done what?" Amy looked at him from where she and Rory were quietly talking, "What're you doing?"

"Making a house call."

"Should I go get Angel?" Rory asked, a bit hesitantly.

He'd been very worried about the girl who seemed to be spreading herself thin lately. He just _knew_ she wasn't doing well, she talked less, kept things bottled up more than usual. She used to talk with him all the time about things that were bothering her, she'd talked to him of the pregnancy, her family, the War, the Doctor and his amnesia...all of that. But now...well, she hadn't spoken to him like that in a while. He'd tried to get her to talk but she'd just given him a smile that he knew meant she didn't want to bother him or burden him. She was so selfless like that, it just made him more concerned.

But he knew what it was, he had seen it, the look on her face even during Demons Run, Jenny hadn't been the only one to catch her expression when the Doctor had asked her to trust him. She wasn't...ready, for all that had happened, not that anyone could be ready for something like that. But it seemed that...the Doctor asking her to trust him had just...broken something inside her. She trusted HIM he knew, but she had trusted the Doctor as well and he'd hurt her more than anything. He could tell that she was afraid to really trust him completely, because if the _Doctor_ , her _Mate_ , the one person in the Universe she _never ever_ expected to hurt her, could...well...what was there to stop others from hurting her as well?

Not that he EVER would.

He just...tried to be there for her. Because he knew it wasn't just that. It wasn't just her being afraid of trusting too much and being hurt again, no, it was...there was _something_ _wrong_. Ever since Berlin she'd been...distant and quiet, more so than usual. And he couldn't help but feel...it wasn't just the fact that she was still dealing with her daughter being taken from her. No...it was...there was something else that was wrong. He knew the Doctor had had quite a few revelations during Berlin, namely about River/Melody, he had as well. He'd learned that his 'daughter' was River. Though...as terrible as it was to say...he couldn't quite bring himself to say it or believe it, that River was his daughter, because she was just...he didn't FEEL it. He didn't feel that paternal connection. He'd _seen_ it in the Doctor's face, the MOMENT he'd touched Angel's stomach at Demons Run, the moment he learned he had a daughter, that he'd _felt_ it, felt like a father, a man who _had_ to protect his daughter.

HE didn't feel it. He didn't know if it was that he knew River as River first and not as Melody Pond. He didn't know if it was that he and Amy hadn't conceived her, she hadn't grown inside Amy. He didn't know if it was that he hadn't gotten to hold her as a baby or even if it was just that he knew all the terrible things she would do to Angel. He didn't know what it was but...he couldn't feel that for River, he _tried_ , but...he didn't see her as his daughter, he saw her as River Song. She was genetically related to him and Amy...but that was as far as it went no matter _how much_ he tried.

He knew he should feel terrible for what he'd done in the Teselecta, how he'd turned away when Melody had been hurt. But...he didn't see his _daughter_ being hurt. He saw River Song being punished for murdering someone in front of him. He knew justice was blind, he knew that making someone else suffer for something wasn't the right thing to do. An eye for an eye was never the way. But...he loved Angel very much and she had just been poisoned after losing her baby and by the same woman who had had it out for her since day one apparently. He knew he should have pushed for Melody to just be captured and brought to justice in court...but a _very_ small part of him...just...couldn't. That very small part of him knew that River wouldn't ever stop trying to come between the Doctor and Angel and hurt Angel, his sister.

He had asked Angel, after Melody had claimed that Angel had tried to prevent her existing, what she'd meant. And Angel had told him, privately, of the vision she'd had. Of Amy being taken, of their baby being replaced with a Ganger, of River still growing up like she had but...not quite as bad as this time. He'd been silent a while and he realized... _that_ was why he didn't feel...fatherly...towards River. In the other reality (oh that was strange to realize an alternate reality could exist like that) River was his and Amy's daughter, conceived by them, grown inside Amy, held in his arms as a baby, his daughter, his actual real daughter that he'd fought and searched a month to get back to. But now... _this_ River...he HADN'T held as a baby, she _hadn't_ been conceived by him and Amy, she _hadn't_ grown inside of Amy...she just...she shared their DNA and that was it. She was just like...a grown woman who was genetically similar to them.

And he knew Amy felt the same. Amy hadn't carried River, she hadn't developed any maternal bonds to her child the way she likely would have in the other reality. Neither of them could see Melody as their daughter they could only see her as just...River Song.

That had been the last conversation he'd had with Angel really, the last one where they had really talked about something serious. All other times she would just tell him she was fine, not to worry, that everything would be ok, and he didn't believe her at all. It wasn't often that he didn't believe her, she rarely ever lied, but this time...he couldn't shake it. There was _something else_ bothering her, weighing her down, but...he didn't want to pry. He just...wanted her to know he was there to talk to her if she didn't want to talk to the Doctor.

And speaking of...the Doctor paused only a moment, "No…let her sleep."

~8~

'… _please save me from the monsters_ …'

... _a man screamed as he was slowly transformed into a life-sized, living wooden dolly_...

'... _George, you're the only one who can stop this, but you have to believe!_...'

Angel woke up with a gasp as a child's cry echoed through her mind. She sat up in her bed, where she'd been napping, and sighed, placing a hand to her forehead as she felt the TARDIS jolt to a landing. The Doctor clearly was not intending to tell her or wake her for this little adventure. He'd been concerned, she knew, as she hadn't been sleeping much, neither of them really had, all summer really. They'd both taken to taking partial naps here and there, usually when the other was awake so as not to waste time looking for Ayla. When one was asleep, the other was awake and searching. She had been particularly active in how little she slept, even when she felt tired she just...couldn't...she just wanted her baby _back_ and she didn't really care what happened to her or how her body protested until she succeeded.

But when she'd nearly fallen asleep during their last attempt to find Ayla, when they'd been hiding, and she'd nearly nodded off...she'd decided that was not safe for the others or her. What good would she be to finding Ayla if she was dead? So she'd decided to try and get a quick nap in before the next place they landed…clearly that hadn't worked…

~8~

Rory stepped out of the TARDIS first, looking out at a sign of the Council Estates, a set of flats before them and looked around, not very impressed by the location, neither, it seemed, was Amy, "No offense, Doctor..."

"Meaning the opposite," the Doctor remarked, opening the TARIDS door to peek out.

"...but we could get a bus somewhere like this."

"The exact opposite," he determined, closing the TARDIS door gently, trying to be quiet and not let the doors squeak...if they squeaked, he hadn't really noticed if they did or not.

He'd actually landed the TARDIS on silent so as not to awaken Angel. He was getting very rather deeply concerned about her. She was...hiding things from him, dimming their connection, not blocking it, no, but...he could tell there were things she was putting in the back of her mind or behind doors so that he wouldn't find them and...the fact that he wasn't sure if she was doing it to try and not worry him or that she was truly hiding something from him because she just didn't trust him with it...worried him greatly.

"Well, I suppose it can't all be planets and history and stuff, Rory," Amy remarked, it hadn't been for the last few trips really. Well, yes, aliens and planets and some historical periods but...all of it, every single one, had been a lead to Ayla...a lead which had fallen short. She could see it was really wearing on the Time Lords, to constantly get their hopes up that THIS lead might be it...and have it not be. Sooner or later they would completely break.

"Yes, it can!" he spun around to the couple, "Course it can! Planets and history and stuff. Oh Angel loves historical trips, loves trying to dress for them. You should have seen her this one time in 1969..." he trailed off, pointing at them warningly, "No you shouldn't! Not ever. Never ever let me take you to England in 1969, America fine, England no. Understood?" they exchanged a look, not quite sure why he was so serious about them not going to England in 1969, but nodded. He smiled, they would never be able to see the outfits Angel had worn during that trip with Martha, good, Rory may be her brother but no man but HIM was ever going to see Angel in that first outfit, "Good, right then, now..." he started scanning the area with his sonic as they entered the courtyard, looking at the monstrous set of flats, stories high, "Today, we're answering a cry for help from the scariest place in the Universe...a child's bedroom."

"Uh, which bedroom?" Rory looked at the building, there had to be thousands!

"About that…" the Doctor began.

Amy rolled her eyes, turning back to the TARDIS, "I'm going to get Angel..."

"No!" the Doctor lunged forward and grabbed her arm, tugging her back, "She's _sleeping_ , hasn't gotten much of that lately, neither of us have…but she needs it more. Just…let her rest. _Please_ Amelia."

Amy sighed, it would be _much_ easier with Angel there to lead them right to the bedroom they needed, and she knew the Doctor was dying to do that to get this over with and sorted quickly to get back to the search for Ayla...but she had to admit it herself, Angel _was_ wearing out and her recent poisoning hadn't helped, she needed all the rest she could get, "Ok," she said quietly.

~8~

George pulled his blankets close to his chin, hearing the squeaking of a cart outside his window, a shadow passing slowly across it. The poor boy couldn't tell it was just an old woman walking with her wheeled bag.

~8~

The Doctor, Amy, and Rory crossed the yard and waited for the lift when the Doctor pulled out the psychic paper, just looking at the child-like writing on it. The poor kid was probably about six or seven, and he couldn't help but feel a ping in his hearts thinking about Ayla. He sighed, rubbing his eyes, he _knew_ what this was. He didn't normally let ANYTHING distract him from this mission to find his daughter, something that the Ponds had found rather shocking that he was so focused, him the absentminded madman...but this was different, THIS was his daughter he was focusing on. _Everything_ was different because of that.

So he knew that the Ponds were a bit on edge about why he'd stopped the mission to come here, to check on some random child's bedroom. But he knew what it was...this wasn't just a trip to help a scared child, but, in a way, a trip to try and do what he'd been unable to do for his own child. Help. Protect. Take care of. This was his twisted version of trying to make up in some far-too-infinitely small way for what had happened to Ayla…to try and help a child. Just...the wrong child, but it was a child…how could he not help regardless of everything…

"Please save me from the monsters?" Rory's voice cut through his thoughts as he saw the message as well, "Who sent that?"

The Doctor closed the small wallet that held the paper and slapped Rory on the head with it, "That's what we're here to find out," and then put it away.

"Sounds like something a kid would say," Amy remarked.

The Doctor swallowed hard, "Exactly. A scared kid. A _very_ scared kid. So scared that somehow its cry for help got through to us. In the TARDIS…"

Amy and Rory exchanged a glance at that, at the sorrow growing in his voice, and they knew he was really thinking about Ayla, they realized what this was really about too.

"Yeah, but you've traced it here?" Amy continued, trying to pull him out of his thoughts.

"Exactly," he nodded, shaking his head as the lift arrived, "Ah! Going up," he stepped inside, waiting for Amy and Rory to join him.

~8~

Angel rubbed her head as she stopped by the console, leaning on it to put on her boots. She'd been trying to do it the entire way there but...it seemed all her caution in how utterly uncoordinated this new her was had gone out the window now that she wasn't pregnant. She was rather...unbalanced, coordination wise, when it came to walking or moving or things. She'd put _enormous_ effort into being balanced when she'd found out she was pregnant, not wanting to fall down or trip and hurt herself or the baby. But...now her body seemed to realize that wasn't a danger and, try as she might...the uncoordination was back. She'd tried to get her boots on as she'd been walking...and ended up falling into the walls and tripping up the small steps and it was just a mess. So she'd waited to put on her boots there, listening to the gentle hum of her sister as though explaining to her what had happened.

She shook her head, glancing at the monitor that had an image of the flats on it, "And the complex is 10 stories? With 30 flats on each level?" she frowned as there was a hum of agreement, "So that's, 300 rooms…and the Doctor thinks he can find the right one, in one night?" another hum and she actually managed a laugh, "Yes, yes he _is_ an idiot," she sighed, patting the console, "I'll be back soon girl."

~8~

George flashed his torch around the room, breathing nervously, glancing a few times at his door where he could see his father sitting in a chair, looking at photos, the TV on quietly in the background.

~8~

The Doctor walked around one of the hallways, looking at the flats, all with identical exteriors while Amy and Rory did the same on two other levels. He made it to the end of the hall and just...stared at it. It was so...ordinary. A door, with a home behind it, and carpets and windows. If he had had to live somewhere like that instead of the TARDIS he'd go stark raving mad.

Well, madder than he already was.

But still, a part of him couldn't help but think...he'd do it, he'd live in such a little flat with the windows and carpets and doors if he had his girls with him. If he had Angel and Ayla with him, he'd live anywhere as long as they were together.

He sighed, shaking his head, and knocked on the door, getting started.

~8~

Amy blinked as the door at the end of her hall opened and a little blonde girl stared up at her silently, "Hi!"

~8~

A door opened with the old cart woman looking up at the Doctor suspiciously, "Hello!" he greeted.

~8~

A slightly less than desirable man opened his door and looked at Rory, sweating a bit, hair slicked back, white tank on, just a bit dirty, a bully if Rory ever saw one, "Hey..."

~8~

"Are your mummy and daddy in, or is it just you?" Amy asked the little girl who just opened the door wider to reveal her twin sister beside her, "Ok…"

~8~

"Is it about the bins?" the old woman asked the Doctor.

"Pardon?" he eyed her.

~8~

"Community support," Rory explained, "Just checking up on community-based...things."

~8~

The door opened wider and Amy jumped back as the twins' mother stared at her, "Can I help you?"

"Hi. Yeah, no. Sorry. I was just wondering if you've had any bother around here?"

~8~

"Is everything ok?" Rory asked the man.

~8~

"The bins," the old woman explained to the Doctor, "I can't be expected to get down all them stairs. I need new knees."

~8~

"Bother?" the mother frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean..." Amy began.

~8~

"Are your neighbors nice?" Rory floundered, "Do you get on well?"

~8~

"He didn't send you, did he?" the mother narrowed her eyes at Amy.

"Who?"

~8~

"Jim Purcell," the man before Rory nearly laughed, "Course we get on well. I'm their landlord. They love me, don't they?"

" _You're_ the landlord?!"

~8~

"Not the bins, no, Miss..." the Doctor looked at the old woman.

" _Mrs._ Rossiter."

~8~

"Thought you'd know that, being from community support," the landlord looked at Rory oddly.

"Yeah…Yes! Yes, of course. Sorry."

~8~

"I've already got a new hip," the old woman continued to lament, "I'll be able to manage when I get the knees. Up and down them stairs like Sherpa Tensing then."

"Can I come in?"

~8~

The landlord's dog began to bark, lunging at Rory, only for the man to tug on the leash.

~8~

"Course not!" the old woman glared, "You could be anyone!"

"Could be, but I'm not."

~8~

"Or maybe it's best I could come back another time…" Rory thought.

~8~

"I'm the Doctor," he said but the old woman just shut the door in his face…much like the others did to Amy and Rory.

~8~

Angel stopped at the edge of the courtyard, looking up at the different levels of flats, just barely making out Amy and Rory on two different ones, though Rory was making his way down the other stairs to Amy's level, and the Doctor on another. Before looking at the rows of rooms intently...

~8~

George held his torch close, hearing laughter outside. He stood up on his bed and looked out the window.

~8~

Angel's gaze drifted to one specific window where Amy and Rory were walking towards, a hand on her chest as she felt a small tug inside her, _that_ was it. She closed her eyes and concentrated, wanting to try something she had been thinking of since meeting Sarah Jane and Jo but hadn't got the chance to try...before allowing the warm glow of the Vortex to surround her as she disappeared.

~8~

Amy and Rory passed by George's window, not even noticing the little boy peeking through at their approach, "We've got to find that kid," Amy was saying.

"Maybe we should let the monsters gobble him up!" Rory teased.

~8~

George ducked down, closing the curtains and waiting for them to pass before a warm golden glow appeared through the curtains. He couldn't help but smile at the pretty light and got up to try and peek out again, watching the two go, not even seeing the black-haired woman who had appeared before the door to his flat.

~8~

The Doctor stopped on the level above Amy and Rory's, seeing them walk by before a golden swirl appeared, Angel within it. He blinked, his eyes wide as he saw her _teleport_ with the Vortex energy. Well, he knew she could...she'd done much the same to save Sarah Jane and Jo...but it had _hurt_ her quite a bit that time. Granted, he hadn't seen her use much of the Vortex after she'd been taken...not that she really could without risking destroying her Ganger, but this...well, it seemed she was stronger. He knew how Angel usually operated with her abilities in the Vortex. At times, she would do something instinctively or feel something take her over and make her do something. And then later, with enough concentration, she would be able to do it herself. Like...she knew she could do it, because she HAD done it, she just...needed to build up her strength to do it herself. And there she was, it wasn't very far, really, just up a few levels, but she'd _done_ it.

Oh she was just wonderful.

She looked up at him, as though feeling his gaze on her, ' _The TARDIS agrees,_ ' she told him in his mind, ' _You're an idiot._ '

He smiled despite that, ' _YOUR idiot though,_ ' he stared at her, loving how that sounded despite the slight insult to him. He watched as she shook her head and gestured to the door beside her. He looked at it, not only the door, but the window where a little boy was peeking out before ducking back inside, clearly scared, ' _Meet you there in a mo,_ ' he called to her, heading for the stairs and dashing down them to meet Amy and Rory by the lift.

"Hey!" Amy greeted, "Any luck?"

"Three old ladies, a traffic warden from Croatia, and a man with ten cats," he replied.

"What are we actually looking for?" Rory asked, starting to think Amy should go and get Angel too.

"Ten cats! Scared kid, remember?"

"I found scary kids," Amy shrugged, "Does that count?"

"Hmm. Try the next floor down. Catch you later," he taped Amy on the shoulder and stepped past the two of them.

This...this was something he wanted to deal with on his own, or with Angel, not with the Ponds there. He...he needed to prove to himself that he was still the Doctor, that he could still help children and not need others to do it or help him. The 'family,' bless them, wouldn't always be able to be there and help him like they had in Demons Run, and really it was HIS job as father and Mate to be able to protect his own family.

HE had to do this without the Ponds, so it was best to keep them distracted.

"Ok," Amy nodded.

Rory pressed the call button for the lift, "Maybe it was, you know...junk mail," he suggested, turning to lean on the wall with is arms crossed as the Doctor walked off.

"What?"

"The message on the psychic paper. Maybe it was just nothing," the lift arrived and they got in, Amy pushing the button for the next floor.

~8~

George gasped, laying down again when his torch cast an eerie claw-like shadow on his wall, scaring him.

~8~

The doors shut...and the lift suddenly plummeted, Amy and Rory screaming as they pressed themselves against the sides…

~8~

The lift doors opened one floor down...but Amy and Rory were gone.

~8~

The Doctor walked slowly down the hall, over to Angel, who was watching him with her arms crossed, "Heading off without me again?" she asked him quietly, shifting back and forth, at least it wasn't a party with River Song this time.

He winced just a bit, hearing that in her mind, and gave her a regretful smile, "Just…wanted you to get some sleep," he reached out and cupped her cheek, his finger brushing against the slight shadows under her eyes. He had been hoping to let her get some rest, "You've been sleeping worse than me," he laughed just a bit, "And that's saying something," his eyes searched hers, his thumb gently starting to stroke her cheek, "You've been so tired lately Nella I just...I wanted to take care of you," he moved to brush a lock of hair behind her ears...

When she looked away, slightly pulling away from him, her body language telling him she was...uncomfortable...which made him frown. He'd noticed lately, well, since Berlin really, that...whenever he seemed to touch her or even compliment her or something to that effect, she...shied away from him, she actually stepped back or turned away or tried to play it off like she was about to touch something else so that he couldn't touch her.

His own Mate didn't want him to touch her.

It was _really_ starting to worry and alarm him quite a bit. He knew that, on Demons Run, they had been close, so close, closer than ever, the two of them holding their baby girl...but he was starting to get the feeling that, if Angel hadn't been so happy and relieved that Ayla was ok, that she had been rescued, and that everyone was alright...she would have reacted much like this too, that it was just the moment that had made her so allowing of his touch.

And it broke his hearts to think that, had she been less amazed by their daughter's birth, she would have tried to keep him from touching her then, or touching Ayla, and that would have _killed_ him, to see his Mate and newly-born daughter together and to hug them and feel Angel flinch at the touch...

"So…" she cleared her throat, knowing he'd likely caught her move, "Please save me from the monsters?"

He looked at her, a bit surprised, "How did you…"

"Just because I can't _see_ the psychic paper," she tapped her head, "Doesn't mean I can't _hear_ psychic calls for help."

To be honest, she wasn't even sure how she had been able to do that. She knew she could hear telepathic aliens, like the Ood, when around them, their 'psychic' calls and things...but this...the Doctor had been able to hear the Ood too but not this. And that was the only thing she could come up with to explain it. She'd gotten the feeling that the vision she'd had...it had only partially been a _real_ vision, the beginning of it hadn't _felt_ like a vision, but just...a cry for help...that had _sparked_ the vision.

He let out a little laugh at that and glanced at the door, "This is it?"

She nodded, gently placing a hand on the door, "It's practically radiating fear."

He nodded, not quite able to feel that but he trusted her and her natural intuition, to be quite honest...he was starting to get the feeling that her intuition was slowly developing into empathy. She just...she felt what was going on around her so _powerfully_ at times it was hard to believe she wasn't _actually_ feeling what others felt during moments like that. He turned to the door, knocking on it. It opened a moment later and he held up the psychic paper to the man beyond.

"Oh," the man looked surprised, "Right. That was quick."

"Was it?" the Doctor offered a smile.

"Claire said she'd phoned someone. Social Services."

"Yes," the Doctor looked at the psychic paper, 'Doctors John and Angela Smith, Child Psychologists,' it read. He couldn't help but smile at the last bit, Angela Smith…it had a nice ring to it, a very nice ring to it, and then he blushed, glancing at Angel, hoping she hadn't caught that thought. He really wasn't sure how she'd react to that, since she didn't seem fond of him...touching her. He was...he was starting to worry even more that, well...Angel had feared that HE regretted Mating to her and that was why he'd forgotten her.

What if...what if _Angel_ regretted Mating to HIM because of everything that had happened with his amnesia and River and Ayla?

He swallowed hard, shaking his head, forcing that thought to the back of his mind. It hadn't seemed like Angel had caught that first thought about being Doctors Smith, he didn't want to risk her catching that fear either. No, that was something they had to actually _talk_ about, rather soon really, he'd do it now if the man wasn't still standing there staring at them.

So, instead, he'd turned back to the man before them, "Yes!"

"It's not, easy, you know..." the man sighed, "Admitting your kid's got a problem."

"You've got a problem. I've got a problem. I bet they're connected, I'm the Doctor," he put the paper away, "Call me Doctor, and you can call her Angel," he looked at Angel with a smile and back to the man, a hard look on his eyes, a warning look, "Not _your_ Angel mind you," and back to Angel with a gentle smile, "She's _mine_ ," and back once more, the smile remaining though less soft as the man wasn't Angel, "What can we call you?"

"Alex…" the man said slowly, eyeing the Doctor oddly.

"It's nice to meet you," Angel reached out to shake his hand.

"You too," he nodded.

"Yes, hello, Alex," the Doctor quickly stepped forward and took the man's hand too, only giving him a moment to really touch Angel's hand, before he used the motion of shaking Alex's hand to step inside. Angel shot the man an apologetic look before shutting the door behind her as the Doctor looked around.

"Alex..." Angel began when the Doctor continued to just look around, "What's wrong with George?"

The Doctor looked at her and she subtly nodded at the door with a drawn child's sign that read 'George's Room.'

~8~

George winced, seeing more spooky shadows on his walls, starting to tremble.

~8~

Mrs. Rossiter dragged her garbage bags down to the bins, overflowing with bags piled up and around it, "What a bloomin' mess," she muttered, "I'm the only one who gives a monkey's round here anymore," she put her bags on the pile, "Shocking!" and turned to walk away, "Talking to yourself now, Elsie," she tapped her head with a sigh, "They say it's the first sign," she stopped, hearing a clanking behind her, "Ooh, Lord!" she shook her head and turned around to glare at he bags, "Come out of there!" she walked towards them, trying to see the kids that had to be hiding behind the bags, "Don't be so ruddy horrible. Trying to scare an old lady to death. It's not right. Is that you, George? I'll tell your mum and dad," she leaned over, trying to peer around the bags, "Come on, you little devil. Let's see your face," she got right down and reached out...

Only to get pulled into the pile of bags with a scream.

~8~

Angel frowned as she shivered, looking over her shoulder at the window behind her and the Doctor as they sat on the sofa, the Doctor looking through a photo album that Alex had given them as he sat across from them on an armchair.

"Ever since he was born he's been a funny kid," Alex admitted.

"Funny's good!" the Doctor looked at Angel, "We like funny, don't we?"

Angel gave him a small smile, patting his shoulder, "I do."

The Doctor beamed and got back to the photos as Alex continued, "He never cries. Bottles it all up, I suppose. Tell him off, he just looks at you."

"How old is he?" Angel asked him, sensing that it was important as she glanced up from the pictures of George as a baby.

"He was eight in January. He should be growing out of stuff like this, shouldn't he?"

"Maybe," the Doctor shrugged, closing the album and putting it down. He put his arm around Angel, glancing at her quickly when she tensed beneath him.

"It's gotten worse, though, hasn't it?" Angel asked, trying not to look at the confused and slightly hurt look the Doctor was sending her. It _killed_ her that it hurt him, her reacting the way she was but...she couldn't help it.

She really couldn't.

"Yeah," Alex nodded, smiling at how the woman seemed to be understanding the situation, "We talked about getting help. You know, maybe sending him somewhere. He started getting these nervous tics, you know, funny little cough. Blinking all the time. But now it's got completely out of hand," he stood up, "I mean he's scared to death of everything."

"Pantophobia," the Doctor stated.

"What?!"

"That's what it's called," the Doctor shifted, removing his arm from around Angel to place his elbows on his knees, trying not to notice how she seemed to relax at that, that he wasn't that close to her any longer, "Pantophobia. Not a fear of pants though, if that's what you're thinking. It's a fear of everything, including pants, I suppose, in that case. Sorry. Go on."

"He hates clowns."

"Understandable."

"Old toys. He thinks the old lady across the way is a witch. He hates having a bath in case there's something under the water. The lift sounds like someone breathing!" he sighed, growing more frustrated, "Look, I don't know," he sat down, "I'm not an expert. Maybe you can get through to him."

Angel reached out and put a hand on the man's arm, getting him to look at her, "We'll do our very best," she promised.

~8~

Rory woke up in a dim, old, dusty room where the only light coming through was from the windows. He looked around at the Victorian setting for his wife, "Amy? Amy? Are you here?"

"Yeah," Amy called, "Here. No, here! It's me," she crawled over to him.

"You ok?" he switched on a small torch penlight to look at her.

Amy squinted, "Yeah, I think so."

Rory sighed and looked around, frowning at the new setting, "What happened to the lift? We were in a lift, weren't we?"

"Yeah, yeah. We...I remember getting in and then…" Rory groaned and she looked at him, "What?"

"We're dead, aren't we?"

"Eh?"

"The lift fell and we're dead."

"Shut up."

"We're dead...again!"

"Oh, shut up! Let's just find out where we are," she stood up and pulled Rory with her, the two of them heading towards the door as they looked around. They stepped out into the hallway.

"You know it's obvious what's happened."

"Yeah? Really? Because it's not obvious to me."

"The TARDIS has gone funny again. Some time...slippy...thing. You know, the Doctor's back there in EastEnders-land and we're stuck here in the past. This is probably 1700 and something."

"Yay! My favorite year!"

They continued down the hall, not seeing a shadowy figure cross the hallway behind them.

~8~

George clutched the torch tightly to him as more spooky shadows appeared around his room. The robe on the back of his door was moving with nothing visible to move it and he sat up so quickly he knocked his lamp to the floor with a crash. Alex ran in, hearing the noise, "George? You ok? What's the matter?" he looked around, spotting the lamp and knelt to pick it up, "Oh. Never mind. Were you having a nightmare, son?"

"Wasn't a nightmare," George shook his head, glancing at the doorway as the Doctor stepped in and leaned against the frame with his arms crossed, "I wasn't asleep," his gaze then drifted to Angel as she appeared beside the Doctor. George blinked at the pretty lady, "Who are you?"

The Doctor looked from George to Angel and grinned, seeing a tiny bit of the awe HE always felt when he looked at Angel in the boy's eyes, he couldn't fault him for it though, Angel was just...breathtaking, "She's the Angel, and isn't she just?" he took Angel's hand, giving it a squeeze and a kiss on the back of it, trying to ignore how her smile was just a bit more tense than it had been for his action. He lowered her hand, not letting go of it though as he turned to George again, "I'm the Doctor."

"A doctor?" George gasped, scared, "Have you come to take me away?"

"Oh no, George," Angel shook her head, stepping away from the Doctor, out of his hold, to go crouch down before George, reaching out to brush a hand through his hair in comfort, "You see...I wanted to have a nice chat with a handsome boy..."

"Well," the Doctor started to smile.

"Named George," she finished.

The Doctor pouted at that, which made George laugh just a little and feel slightly more reassured, "What about?" the boy wondered.

The Doctor walked into the room, a soft smile unable to leave his face at the sight of Angel soothing the child, but had to say the reason, "About the monsters."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I need to put this first before commenting on the chapter...River is human and was NOT the regenerating girl in DOTM, I shall leave the rest to you to work out who THAT little girl was ;)
> 
> Now, the Doctor and the fluff...this episode will be VERY important in the road to getting our epic fluff back ;) I had to drag on the lack-of-fluff just a tiny bit longer, because...there's something the fluff is usually based around that has gone on very unresolved for the Time Lords that they WILL talk about and resolve in this episode. And the fluff to follow...well...the end of this episode's fluff...will be only a tiny hint of the fluff to come ;) But the fluff will return, I did promise that, but I also warned this isn't going to be an Angel automatically gets over/forgets everything that the Doctor hurt her in doing. There will have A LOT to resolve and work out but each and every thing will add to the fluff to come ;) So while this episode will start with not much fluff...it will end with...well, we'll see ;)
> 
> As for Rory...I really wanted to put Rory's perspective on River in at the start, because it's really important to keep in mind...this story will be different than the show (lol, it sort of already is isn't it :)), especially in the relationship the Ponds have with River. Here, they didn't have any of the natural bonding moments that they did in the show, River was never in Amy, Rory never held his baby girl, they didn't fight to get to her but to Ayla, their niece. Here...they sort of can't see River as anyone other than River even knowing she's genetically their daughter. They didn't hold her or get the chance to love her because the revelation came out of nowhere and they had no time to process it. With Jenny it was different, the Time Lords hadn't met Jenny and seen what sort of woman she was like before she was created, they didn't have THAT image in their heads when they met Jenny, unlike the Ponds who only know River as River. The month Amy spent with Melody, the month that Rory spent getting to his wife and daughter never happened. And that's sort of the problem with their relationship is that they know how terrible River was to Angel and it's sort of keeping them from really being able to bond to her, because Melody wants nothing to do with them if they keep calling Angel family and defending her.
> 
> Here Melody is NOT their daughter (in their hearts) but just River Song to them :(


	31. Night Terrors: Waking

Rory and Amy entered a small, dark room, glancing at the shelves along the walls, quite a few cooking utensils scattered about with a fireplace off to the side. Clearly this was the kitchen of wherever they were, a few pots were resting on the counter by the sink. There was a long table with a pan and loaf of bread on it as well. Amy knocked against the utensils that clattered, "Bit neglected, wherever it is."

"Let's find the front door, at least," Rory remarked, "Then we can work out where we are. When we are."

He _really_ hoped they were in the present, it would be easier to get back to the Doctor and Angel that way. The LAST thing he wanted was for them to have to waste time trying to find him and Amy instead of their daughter. Granted, it would be easier to find them as they'd been classified as 'companions' and the TARDIS could track them, but it was just...HE didn't want them to be the next reason the search for Ayla was delayed. He could already see that it was getting to the Time Lords to have not found their daughter yet, especially Angel who blamed herself for not being able to hold onto the girl nor sense where she was, and he didn't want to add to their stresses. He just...he wanted that little girl found.

Amy picked up the pan from the table and knocked on the bottom of it...but it didn't give the metallic clang it ought to have, "Rory."

"Hmm?"

"Look at this."

"What?" he glanced at it, "It's a copper pan."

"No, it's not," she knocked it again, a more hollow and dull sound ringing out, "It's wood. It's made of wood and just _painted_ to look like copper."

"That...is stupid," he knocked on it himself before shining his small torch around, when Amy spotted a lamp with a candle in it.

"Wait. Hang on," she walked over to it, looking around the side of it, "There's a switch," she turned it on and a fake electric light blinked to life.

"Wow! Well, not 1700 and something then."

They started opening draws along the counters, trying to see if there was anything else they could use, when Amy tugged at a stuck drawer, yanking it open, only to see a _giant eye_ staring back at her. They both screamed and exchanged a look before Amy reluctantly reached for it…touching it, "It's glass!" she let out a relieved breath, "It's a glass eye," she tapped it again as Rory's torch flickered on and off five times, "Stop doing that."

"It's not me," he bashed the light a moment and the flickering stopped, "Come on."

"Yep," Amy picked up the lamp, "Hang on," she picked up the wooden pan for a weapon and walked through the door on the other end of the room.

~8~

The Doctor sat at the foot of George's bed, playing with a Rubik's Cube while Angel sat beside the boy, up against the headboard, her arm around him as the boy leaned on her side, feeling calmer than he could remember being. The lady was nice and he liked her, she was very...well, she was a lot like his mum and when he was scared that was all he really wanted, his mummy there with him. She wasn't exactly his mum, but she would do for now.

Alex, however, was pacing along the room, the only one not calm, "Maybe it was things on the telly, you know?"

"Right," the Doctor nodded, not really paying attention to him or even to the cube he was failing miserably to solve.

It was easy, the cube, he'd done it _loads_ of times, sometimes with his eyes closed, sometimes with it behind his back, but this time...he wasn't really focusing on it. He couldn't keep his glance from drifting to Angel every other second, it was just...hearts-breaking and hearts-warming all at the same time, to see her with George. She was and had always been SO good with children even if she didn't realize it, to see her with George, calming him, keeping him smiling...it was just so amazing. But...equally, seeing her be so good with George only served to remind them that she'd likely be even better with Ayla, and Ayla wasn't there. It broke his hearts to think (and fear) that he and Angel might not get a chance to be like that with Ayla.

They didn't know where she was, they didn't know what might happen to her between now and them finding her... _if_ they found her, which they prayed they would.

And that was truly terrifying.

"Scary stuff, getting under his skin, frightening him."

"Mhmm."

"So we stopped letting him watch."

"Oh, you don't want to do that," he gave George a small smile.

"Then Claire thought it might have been something he was reading..."

"Great! Reading's great!"

"Do you enjoy bedtime stories, George?" Angel asked the boy gently and he nodded eagerly.

"Yeah?" the Doctor smiled, turning to lean on the bed more, on his stomach, "Us, too. When I was your age, about, ooh...a thousand years ago, I loved a good bedtime story. 'The Three Little Sontarans.' 'The Emperor Dalek's New Clothes.' 'Snow White And The Seven Keys To Doomsday,' eh? All the classics. Rubbish," he tossed the cube over his shoulder, realizing he was being rather silly to be focusing so much on a cube when Angel was right in front of him, much more brilliant a sight to gaze upon.

He started to smile, seeing a faint blush on her cheeks as she caught his thoughts, well, she would have, he was being purposefully loud in thinking them. He had sworn, after having been so closed from her, that he was _never ever_ going to hide his thoughts from her again, not ever, no matter what. Well, except for just outside before, about the Doctors Smith thing, but besides that, he wanted her to know, to see in his mind, just how much he thought of her, what he thought of her. He couldn't help but think of how she'd been after meeting Reinette, how he'd known that she would need to see into his mind and hearts to know that he was being completely truthful in how much he truly did love her. And it hurt to think that they seemed to be back at that point once more, where Angel needed reassurance.

But he understood, his latest actions, his latest regeneration hadn't been all that good at making her feel special and brilliant and just...amazing like she was. Not having noticed what River was doing to her, her hurtful words and glances, hadn't helped any either. He knew that, especially because of his actions with River before he'd remembered, she really would need to see and feel what he felt so she would know that...it could never be, him and River, not ever. He wanted her to see that, even when he'd forgotten her, there had always been something pulling him to HER, something keeping him from River whether it was his own annoyance with the woman, Angel's lack of trust in her, or how much he did NOT like that kiss she had given him...there was always something that kept telling him not to go to River.

He could only hope that, one day, she would see what he thought and felt and truly believe it was how he felt and what he thought. He wanted her to see it, see so deeply into his soul that she would realize it had always been and would always be...her. Just her. He truly had never ever felt this way about another before, not even his wife on Gallifrey, no one, but her. He fully believed that she had always been meant for him, his own treasure, his own light, his own angel. And he couldn't lose her now.

"Must be broken," he muttered, starting to become distracted again, "I hate those things," he frowned, seeing Angel glance at the cupboard and followed her gaze, glancing at Alex as he moved to pick up the cube, "Better tidy it away, though, eh?" he stood up and took the cube back, "How about in here?" he looked at the cupboard, having seen something in Angel's expression just then, as George gasped, "No?" he looked at George, "Not in the cupboard? Why not in there, George?"

"It's a...thing," Alex told them, "A thing we got him doing ages back. Anything that frightens him, we put it in the cupboard. Creepy toys, scary pictures, that sort of thing."

"Is that where all the monsters go, George?" Angel asked the little boy softly. He looked at her and nodded, his eyes wide in fear. Angel lightly brushed some of the hair on his head and dropped a kiss on it, "Well no monsters are going to get you while we're here," she promised. It...really was a terrible thing to do, put every single thing that scared the boy in the cupboard right across from him, in poor George's mind, that was where the monsters lived and they were far too close.

The Doctor smiled softly at the sight of George snuggling closer to Angel for her gesture, before walking slowly towards the cupboard, "There's nothing to be scared of, George. It's just a cupboard…"

"Door," Angel called.

"Yes, just a cupboard door."

"No," she gave him a small smile, "Someone should get the door."

A moment later there was a loud knock on the front door.

Alex blinked, a bit startled, "Front door…" he muttered, glancing at Angel a bit oddly, how had she known? The door knocked again and he moved to go answer it.

"How did you do that?" George looked at her with wide eyes, though not fearful, but interested, "Are you magic?"

"Oh _much_ better than magic," the Doctor moved back to the bed, sitting down at the foot of it, recalling with a laugh how little Amelia Pond had asked HIM the same thing once, "She's an angel," he whispered to the boy, who turned to look at Angel as awed as the Doctor always was, "And, better still...she's _psychic_."

"Watch it thief," Angel nudged him just a bit, getting a laugh from George.

The Doctor smiled widely at that, there it was...that little hint of what they'd had. Every little bit he found, every joke, every memory, made him feel...better. Reassured him that Angel DIDN'T regret Mating to him, not if she could smile and give a little joke, now he just...had to get a bit more, get little bits out of her here and there and hope that enough would come through that she'd be ready to talk to him after they helped George.

Because this was his Mate, and he was not going to be able to make himself wait very long to make sure she was ok and find out what he could do to make her happy again.

He couldn't be happy without her being happy, he really couldn't, he _needed_ to make her happy to have even the slightest chance of being happy himself.

~8~

Rory and Amy crept down a hallway, "Let's try down here," Rory suggested, moving on.

...not seeing another figure standing in the hall behind them, watching them.

~8~

Alex opened the front door to see Mr. Purcell standing there with his dog, "Evening," he walked in with a smirk.

"Oh, hi…"

~8~

The Doctor and Angel exchanged a look as they watched and listened to Alex and Mr. Purcell talk in the parlor, able to hear it and see it through the crack in the door.

~8~

"How's Claire?" Purcell asked.

"Good, thanks," Alex nodded, tense, "At work. Look, this really isn't a good time. Maybe later..."

"And the kiddie?"

"Good."

"Yeah. You know how I hate to mention it, but it's that time again."

"Yes..."

"And you know I like my money _prompt_."

"The thing is, I still haven't found anywhere since the shop shut and Claire's wage only goes so far. I thought we could, you know, come to some sort of arrangement?"

~8~

Angel glanced at George to see his gaze focused on the door, a small fearful frown on his face before she looked at the Doctor, catching his eye and, with a gentle nod at George, he understood. He pulled out the sonic and turned it on, randomly scanning the room to pull George's attention away.

"Is that a torch?" George asked, it was working.

"Screwdriver!" the Doctor defended, "A _sonic_ one. And other stuff."

"Far more magical than any old torch," Angel told George.

"Please may I see the other stuff?" George asked, getting a bit excited, forgetting, for the moment, the rather intimidating man speaking to his father.

"You may," the Doctor grinned, sonicing the room, activating the battery-powered toys lining George's floor, "Ah, pretty cool, eh?"

George gasped in delight.

~8~

"Isn't he awful, eh?" Purcell continued as his dog started to growl, "Don't growl at the nice man, Bernard. He don't mean to upset daddy, do you?"

"No," Alex wearily looked at the dog, he'd never had the best experiences with them.

"Look, son, I know what you're thinking. Here comes 'orrible Purcell after his rent. Dog on a chain. Wasn't expecting that, was you? I'm not as daft as I look. In fact, I'm not daft at all."

~8~

George sat at the edge of his bed, watching the toys in fascination, when Angel leaned forward, and gave him a little hug, "Look at that," she nudged the side of his face gently, "There's a smile."

"No tears from George," the Doctor agreed, "That's what we've heard."

"Want to see another little trick George?" Angel asked him.

"Yes please!" he nodded eagerly, turning to her, wondering what was coming next.

Angel smiled and looked at the toys, concentrating moment and hoping this would work...before snapping her fingers. The toys sparked golden a moment before one or two of them levitated into the air and zoomed around the room. George watched as one of his toy airplanes whizzed by, leaving a trail of golden sparkles. He laughed as the plane continued, whirling around, spelling out his name in the dark room.

Angel beamed to see that it had worked. She'd hoped that, like with helping Jen, that the Vortex, used as energy, with a bit of the other power of it, could make the little toys fly. It was probably not a great way to use her energy, but George was happy and laughing and smiling and that was more than worth it. She felt the side of her face heat up and felt a rush of warmth spread through her from somewhere else and looked over at the Doctor...to see him watching with a soft smile, an adoring look in his eyes as he gazed at her, so much...love in his expression that she had to turn back to the toys, feeling her face flushing.

She gently set the toys back down on the ground, smiling at George once more, "Can I have another smile?" she asked him.

George beamed at her and the Doctor laughed, "There's a brave little soldier," the Doctor nodded, "Bit rusty at this, thank God I've got Angel eh?" she blushed just a bit more, which made him smirk to see, he LOVED the fact that he could make her blush, even now, even when there was something bothering her, that he could still get her to blush that lovely shade of red...which he could recall was even redder than her hair had been, "Anyway, let's open this cupboard, eh?" he stood up and scanned the cupboard, "There's nothing to be..." the sonic increased in pitch, making him frown, "Off the scale," he breathed before sitting down back on the bed, stunned, "Off the scale!" he looked at Angel, alarmed, "How..."

Angel looked at George to see his gaze back on the door, watching his father and Purcell.

"All I want is my 350 pounds," Purcell glared at Alex, "Simple as that. Night-night. Come on, son. Come on," and with that final warning he turned to leave, tugging the dog after him.

The Doctor put a hand on George's shoulder, his gaze still on the cupboard, when Alex entered, "Right," Alex tried to play off the whole encounter, pretending like they hadn't been privy to the entire thing, "Sorry about that. So, have we got this thing open yet?" he reached for the latch of the cupboard.

"No!" the Doctor leapt up, "No! No, no, no! You _don't_ want to do that!"

Alex turned to him, "Why?"

"Because," Angel called as she got up as well, "George's monsters are real."

~8~

Amy and Rory slowed as they reached the front hall, seeing discarded items scattered on the floor. Amy stepped around them and looked back at the room while Rory headed for the front door, "Oh, at last," he looked down and groaned.

"What is it?"

"No doorknob! Wooden pans, a massive glass eye, and now no doorknob!"

"And this clock."

"What?" he turned around to see her standing before a grandfather clock.

"Look, the hands, they're _painted_ on," she pointed but they both spun around when they heard the sound of a child laughing.

Rory put a finger to his lips and they walked towards the door in the back where the sound had come from...

~8~

The Doctor searched through the cabinets of Alex's kitchen frantically while Angel sat at the sofa in the connecting sitting room, looking intently at the pictures in the photo album as Alex glared at the Doctor, "You're supposed to be a _professional_! I'll _never_ get him to sleep now!" the Doctor found the teacups, ""It's so...irresponsible."

"No, Alex," the Doctor shook his head, "Responsible. _Very_. Cupboard bad. Cupboard not bare. Stay away from cupboard. And there's something else. Something I've missed. Something staring me in the face…" he looked over at Angel as she sat with the photos, just _knowing_ she'd figure it out, she always knew, at just the right time, said something that triggered his epiphanies…

Well, she would, she was an epiphany herself. The greatest surprise, the greatest understanding, the greatest reward in his entire lives. She was just...so brilliant, she worked things out before even HE did and he knew that was just fantastic. Half the time it was just something she felt and, between him and the rest of the Universe, he was 99 percent sure that half her feelings about things weren't related to visions of the future but just...her, being an incredible judge of character and running on instinct. The things she knew, the things she guessed at, the things she noticed...were always different than him, than what he picked up on, and, often times, were so much more important.

She opened his eyes to so many things, she made him smarter, made him want to be a better man.

"Look, I'd like you to leave, please," Alex cut into his thoughts, "You're just making things worse. Will you stop making tea!?" he grabbed the teacups away, "I want you to leave!"

The Doctor just took the cups back, "No," and opened the fridge, he could tell...Angel was starting to get a headache and he knew tea would help, it always helped her, and he would make her tea, yes, even if Alex tried to stop him, he wouldn't. He'd make her tea and help her, take care of her like he's promised he would. She had stayed with him, taken care of him when he'd treated her so poorly, he would make sure he made up for that and then some.

"What? What do you mean 'no?'" Alex shut the fridge, "Leave! Get out!" but the Doctor just opened it again and Alex shut it, "Now, please! Look, maybe this was a bad idea. We should sort out George ourselves..."

"You need our help Alex," Angel called gently, they looked over to see her standing behind them, the closed photo album clutched to her chest, something telling her it was important, the photos were the key, they held a clue but she just...couldn't see it.

"See," the Doctor stuck out his tongue at Alex and opened the fridge, taking out the milk and pouring it into the cups. If Angel said they were needed, then they were needed.

"No one's going to tell us how to run our lives," Alex glared, "I don't care who you two are or what wheels have been set in motion. We'll sort it!"

"We're not just professionals. I'm the Doctor and she's my Mate, the Angel."

Angel blinked...it had been SO long, so SO long since she'd heard the Doctor claim her and introduce her as that to another, she felt her breath leave her at that. She could feel the tingle race through her, the same tingle she got every time he had done that as his last self. Hearing that possessiveness in his voice, that she was HIS Mate and no one else's, was...well...her hearts raced no matter how much she wished they could be calm at the moment. Now was really NOT the time to focus on that when there was a scared little boy who needed them.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"It means we've come a _long_ way to get here, Alex. A _very_ long way. George sent a message. A distress call, if you like. Whatever's inside that cupboard is so terrible, so powerful, that it amplified the fears of an ordinary little boy across all the barriers of time and space."

"Eh?!"

"Through crimson stars and silent stars and tumbling nebulas like oceans set on fire. Through empires of glass and civilizations of pure thought and a whole, terrible, wonderful Universe of impossibilities. You see these eyes? They're old eyes. And one thing I can tell you, Alex...monsters are real."

"You're not from Social Services, are you?"

"First things first. You got any Jammie Dodgers? Angel's hungry," he smiled.

Angel blinked again as he looked at her and winked before returning to sorting through the cupboards...she hadn't even realized she really WAS hungry.

But he had.

' _I said I would take care of you Nella,_ ' she heard his voice whisper in her mind, feeling him smiling in her thoughts which she knew he was doing even with his back to her.

~8~

Mrs. Rossiter walked down a dark hallway, very much like the ones Amy and Rory had been exploring, "Please...I don't like being on me own. If there's anyone there... please...help me!"

A shadowy figure crossed the hall behind her.

~8~

Amy and Rory entered another hall with a checkerboard floor and a large staircase, following the laughter, "You hear that?" Amy asked.

"Yeah," Rory nodded as Amy started forward but he pulled her back, "Wait!"

The laughter sounded again, louder, "They're getting closer!"

"They?!" Rory's eyes widened.

Amy started on again and they slowly crossed the room to the next door. Amy readied her wooden pan as Rory slowly reached out for the doorknob, whipping it open quickly. They both jumped back with a scream for ,standing there, was a life-size wooden doll with a large head, the paint chipping off it.

"It's just...It's a dummy," Amy breathed, "Oh, it's a dummy."

"This is...weird."

"Says the time travelling nurse," Amy laughed. Rory reached forward and tapped the head, getting a hollow wooden sound from it as well, "Let's just...leave that for now. Come on," she tugged his arm and they turned to walk away, trying to find another way out...

As the dummy turned its head to watch them go.

~8~

The Doctor sat beside Angel as she showed him the photos that she kept coming back to no matter how many times she tried to turn the pages, one of Claire during Christmas and one of her holding George as a baby, she didn't know why but she kept getting stuck on them. He looked at them intently, "What is it with these photos?" he asked her quietly, unable to figure out what was wrong with them either but trusting her sensations that it would prove infinitely important later. He slowly put the album down and looked at Alex, "Anyway! Good. Nice tea. Nothing like a cuppa, eh?" he looked at Angel, about to reach out to brush a lock of hair behind her ear, when he pulled back, not wanting her to flinch or stiffen again, "Head feeling better?"

"Much," she nodded, smiling softly at him, a sort of...thankfulness in her eyes that he hadn't touched her like she knew he was planning, like she knew he wanted to. As much as she hurt that he was hurt that he hadn't touched her, she knew he'd be even more so if he did and she turned away before she could stop herself. She DID try, to stop herself that is, turning away or flinching or stiffening, she _tried_ but...there were times she couldn't help it.

And she'd rather hurt him slightly by trying to get him not to touch her first than to hurt him scores more by tensing when he did touch her.

Not that she wanted to hurt him at all.

"Good," he smiled at her, pleased he'd been able to help her feel a bit better at least, "Now..." he turned to Alex, clapping as he stood up, taking a step away from Angel to try (in a rather feeble attempt) to lessen the temptation to touch her, though the distance only seemed to increase it, "Decision time. Should we open the cupboard?"

Alex nearly spit out his tea, "What?!"

"Should we?"

"Well..."

"Got to open the cupboard, haven't we? Course we have! Come on, Alex! Alex! Come on! How else will we ever find out what's going on here?"

Alex stood up slowly, "Right. But you said..."

"Monsters! Yeah, well, that's what we do! Breakfast, dinner, and tea. Fight the monsters. Me and Angel. Who better to stop the demons than an angel eh?"

And it was SO much more than that.

Everyone had monsters, skeletons in their closets, very few people actually had _demons_ after them, haunting them, following them. He was one of them, he'd done... _so much_ , so many terrible things that he could feel them, the demons lurking around him, in the darkness of his soul. He admitted...during the time he'd forgotten Angel, they had been closer than ever, pulling at him, twisting him...but with Angel there...she really _did_ scare them away. She was just...so pure, he really had NO idea what he could have possibly done to deserve such an angel watching over him.

"So," he cleared his throat, starting to blush, seeing Angel blush as well, "This...this is just an average day at the office."

"Ok," Alex started to nod, "Yeah. You're right."

"I um...I don't think we should open it," Angel called from where she was still sitting on the sofa, watching them, "We don't know what might be in there that could make George so scared. Whatever it is...it's powerful enough for the sonic to pick it up."

"We don't?!" Alex shook his head, getting confused.

"Come on, Alex!" the Doctor continued, "Alex! Come on! Are you crazy? We can't open the cupboard!"

"God, no. No, we mustn't!"

The Doctor put his hands on either side of Alex's head, "Right. That settles it."

"Settles what?"

The Doctor pulled his hands away and grabbed his cup, drinking the rest of his tea.

"He's going to open the cupboard," Angel sighed as the Doctor gave the man a smile and strode out of the room.

~8~

Purcell was sitting in his chair, his feet up, with wine at his side, flipping through the channels of his TV with his remote, his dog on the floor, "There's nothing on. Never anything on, is there Bernard? Bergerac. God help us. 30 years old, that! Where's the boxing? Meant to be boxing on. Looks like we are going to have to watch that film again," he got up and walked towards the TV...

When his feet sunk into the floor.

"What the...hold on a minute," he stepped forward with his other foot but it got caught as well, "This is not..." and then his entire body began to sink, "No! Help me, Bernard. Help!"

Purcell was swallowed by the floor which rippled like water as Bernard just laid back down.

~8~

Angel glanced down at the floor as she sat beside George on the bed, trying to keep the boy calm as the men decided to open the cupboard of his nightmares. The Doctor and Alex stood before it, the Doctor stretching out his arms and cracking his neck, preparing for whatever might be in there before slowly walking forward as George watched, gripping Angel's hand tightly as his father stood before them. The Doctor leapt forward to lean against the furniture, startling the humans, before he turned the latch and reached for the handle. He yanked the doors...

Open only to see some clothes and old toys, a dollhouse as well, nestled in the back of the perfectly ordinary cupboard.

The Doctor paused a moment, slightly let down, this was just like ATMOS all over again except he wasn't on the ground with Angel in his arms, that would have made the let-down more bearable, "I don't understand it. It _has_ to be the cupboard. The readings from the sonic screwdriver, they were..." he trailed a bit, just looking at Angel, seeing her sitting beside the child and couldn't help but think, as he often had during the night, that it was a picture perfect moment, her with a child…his eyes widened as his mind went to Ayla, to her pregnancy with the girl, to her Ganger and how he hadn't noticed she was pregnant...before he ran from the room. He grabbed the photo album they had left on the sofa and ran back into George's room, "How old is George, Alex?"

"What?" Alex frowned, "How old?"

"Yes. How old is George?"

"Well, I told you…"

"Just turned eight," Angel called as Alex nodded.

"So you remember when he was born then?" the Doctor asked Alex carefully.

"Of course!" Alex exclaimed.

The Doctor swallowed hard, recalling Ayla before shaking his head, _needing to focus_ , "'Course you do! How could you not? You and Claire. Christmas Eve. 2002, right?" he showed him a photo of them at Christmas Eve with their friends.

Alex frowned and walked closer to stand across from the Doctor, looking at the photo, "What? Er...yeah."

"Couple of weeks before George was born. Tell me about the day he arrived. Must've been...wonderful," he trailed off softly, despite the fact that he hadn't even realized the woman who was his Mate was pregnant and that he'd only had a month to accept the fact that he was a father before the baby arrived and that it happened in the place she'd been captive in…that single moment when his daughter was born had been one of the most _wonderful_ times of his life.

He'd cried when he'd gotten to hold her, when Rory had delivered her and he'd gotten to hold his little girl.

"Best day of my..." Alex trailed a moment before blinking and looking back at the Doctor, "Life."

"Sure?"

"Yes."

"You don't _sound_ sure," Angel called softly, already seeing what the Doctor was guessing.

"What are you trying to say?" Alex glared at them, "Look, I don't like this. I've told you before, I want you to go!" he pointed at the door.

"Alex are you alright?" Angel asked the man gently as he started to stutter and blink a lot, seeming scared.

"I can't...don't! Oh, this is scary!"

"No, Alex," the Doctor shook his head, holding up the photo album, " _This_ is scary. Claire with baby George," he showed him Claire holding a baby, "Newborn, yes?"

"Yes."

"Less than a month after Christmas…"

"So?"

"So look," he pointed between the two pictures, "Look! Claire's _not_ pregnant."

"What?"

"Not pregnant," he pointed at Claire's flat belly in the Christmas photo.

It was just like with Angel, she hadn't seemed to be at the end of her pregnancy with the Ganger having been switched in ages earlier, just like with Claire, she didn't look pregnant. But he knew it wasn't exactly the same, Claire was human, Claire hadn't been replaced, and Claire wasn't really pregnant...so what was George?

"Well, of course not, Claire can't have kids!" Alex's mouth dropped open as he realized what he'd said.

The Doctor closed the album, "Say that again."

"We tried everything. She was _desperate_. As much IVF as we could afford, but...Claire can't have kids. How...how can I have forgotten that?" they both slowly turned to look at George, sitting beside Angel on the bed, staring at them.

The Doctor tensed, wondering, just for a moment, if the child might somehow be a threat or danger to Angel, but the fact that the woman remained sitting beside him told him, not even she or her senses believed that, "Who are you, George?"

"It's not possible! This isn't..."

"George?" Angel frowned, looking at the boy, feeling him stiffen beside her moments before the room began to shake and light flared up between the cracks of the cupboard. The bedside lamp switched on brightly as George looked at it. The cupboard door swung open and a violent wind began to suck the Doctor and Alex back towards it as they fought against it, the wind either not reaching her at the bed or not intending to take her with them.

"Doctor!" Angel cried, but George clung to her, terrified and she knew…as was always the case…the Doctor would want the _child_ safe before himself, so she wrapped her arms around George, trying to make him feel safe and calm so he'd stop whatever he was doing.

"George!" the Doctor struggled, "George, what's going on? Are you doing this?"

"What's happening?" Alex gasped.

George pulled his legs up to him as he turned and hugged Angel tightly, burying his face in her stomach, "Please save me from the monsters!" he begged her, "Please save me from the monsters! Please save me from the monsters! Please save me from the monsters!"

"It'll be ok," she whispered to him, trying to reassure him.

"George!" the Doctor cried as they continued to struggle.

"Doctor!" Alex yelled.

The Doctor was pulled into the cupboard, "George!"

And so was Alex, "George!"

The cupboard doors shut closed behind them and George opened his eyes, blinking quickly five times, before Angel hugged him even tighter, rocking him back and forth as he clung to her, trying to calm him down, knowing his fear was what was generating the power.

~8~

Rory frowned as he looked around at another dark hallway, "Why aren't there any lights? I miss lights. You don't really miss things till they're gone, do you? That's what my Nan used to say, "You'll never miss the water till the well runs dry.""

"Rory," Amy began.

"Except light I mean, not water. Lights are great, aren't they? I mean if this place was all lit up, we wouldn't even be worried at all."

"Rory! Panicking. A bit?"

"Yeah, yeah," he winced, "Sorry."

Just then...Mr. Purcell came running down the hall towards them, "Help me! Please! Keep them away from me! Keep them away!"

They watched in horror as a life-sized doll ran after him, grabbing him around the neck with one arm, forcing him to the floor. He screamed as he slowly transformed into one of them, a Napoleon-like one.

"I take it all back," Amy's eyes widened, "Panic now."

Rory nodded and they ran away, screaming, the dolls stiffly following.

"Don't run away," they called in rather creepy voices, "We want to play!"

Amy and Rory just shut the door they'd run through in the dolls' faces, turning to lean against the door and look at each other as the dolls laughed. Rory looked at the crack under the door and saw the shadows moving away, sighing with relief.

~8~

The Doctor and Alex came to on the floor of the dining room. The Doctor jumped up and looked around, letting out a breath of air as he saw Angel hadn't been taken with them…though that only made him more worried about if that meant she was in more or less danger at the moment. He ran to the door, "George! Don't do this! We want to help you, George!"

He closed his eyes tightly and took a breath, ' _Angel!_ '

~8~

George sat back against the bed, his arms around his legs, his face in his knees, breathing heavily as Angel had her arm around him, trying to soothe him.

' _Angel!_ ' she heard the Doctor call in her mind.

' _I'm here, with George,_ ' she reassured him, ' _We're fine but he's terrified…_ '

' _You've got to calm him down, he's the one doing this somehow, if I could just figure out how…_ '

' _I'll try my best,_ ' she promised.

~8~

The Doctor nodded and opened his eyes as Alex leaned on the table to get up, "We went...we went into the cupboard! We went into the cupboard! How can it be bigger in here?"

The Doctor sniffed the chicken set up on the table, needing something to distract himself from the fact that Angel wasn't there, after the mess with Kovarian he REALLY didn't like being apart from her if he could help it, so he'd had to resort to examining the room for clues to escape, "More common than you'd think, actually. You're ok."

"Where are we?"

"Obvious, isn't it?"

"No!"

"Dollhouse! We're inside the dollhouse."

"The dollhouse?!"

"In the cupboard. In your flat. The dollhouse!"

"No, no, just slow down, would you?"

"Look! Wooden chicken!" he tossed it at Alex, getting a bit frustrated with the man's questions, questions which were NOT helping him work out what was wrong or how to get back to Angel. Luckily Alex managed to catch it, "Cups, saucers, plates," as well as the plate and cup, "Knives, forks, fruit, chickens! Wood! So...we're either inside the dollhouse or this a refuge for dirty posh people who eat wooden food. Or termites! Giant termites trying to get on the property ladder," he picked up a melon and thrust it at Alex, "No, that's possible. Is that possible?"

He turned to leave as Alex watched him go, seeing the man getting a bit...unbalanced, almost...like his thoughts were becoming disjointed as he spoke, growing more frantic as he went. He quickly dropped the items and followed the Doctor out into the hallway, "Look, will you stop?" he grabbed the Doctor's lapels, "What is he? What is George? And how could I forget that Claire can't have kids? _How_?"

"Perception filter," he clapped Alex's arm and kept walking, needing to keep walking, needing to find the way out, as much as he knew George wouldn't hurt Angel, clearly the fact that she wasn't there meant George liked her enough, he just...he didn't trust anyone with her but him...or Rory...because HE'D really done just a bang up job taking care of his Mate as Rory had pointed out, "Some kind of hugely powerful perception filter. Convinced you and Claire. Everyone. Made you change your memories," he stopped in front of a mirror and made a face, quickly checking behind him for any alien-fish-vampires, wincing as his mind went to the fact that he'd let his pregnant Mate into the dangerous school and that she'd nearly gotten bitten by a Sister of the Water in the process, before turning to Alex, "Now, what could do that?"

Alex glanced at the mirror as the Doctor walked off, "Just a mirror," he muttered, following off...

When a doll was reflected in the mirror, watching them go...

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aww we saw a bit of blushing from Angel, that's a good sign :) And a little bit more about why she semi-doesn't want the Doctor that close :( BUT! We'll find out exactly what's wrong and what the Doctor will do to...fix ;)...it in the next chapter :) I'm REALLY excited for the official return of the fluff to get here ^-^
> 
> I never really got why the Doctor suddenly remembered/realized the pictures with Claire, how she wasn't pregnant in one but had a baby in another, it seemed a bit too random for even the Doctor. So I sort of wanted him to realize that about Claire because it sort of related to Angel :) She didn't look (as) pregnant to him and then the next thing he knew there was a baby, so I could see that leading to the epiphany :)


	32. Night Terrors: Dreaming

The dolls banged against the door of the library Amy and Rory had hidden in, shoving against it, making it move even with them pressed against it to hold it shut, "Lock it!" Amy shouted.

"There isn't a lock!" Rory told her.

She groaned as they pushed back on the door even more when the dolls managed to open it a crack, but Amy and Rory pushed it closed. Rory dashed away, spotting something, and moved a giant spool of threat in front of the door, barricading them in.

~8~

"So, Claire can't have kids and something responded to that," the Doctor mumbled, trying to work it out as quickly as he could.

He could feel it now, it was getting worse. That niggling in his mind that he'd had when he'd forgotten Angel, that flash of fear he always felt whenever something had happened to her was back and worse than ever, only now he realized it was the Mating instinct telling him that he was separated from his Mate. He didn't like it, he really didn't like it, and he was trying to remain calm. Angel had reassured him she was ok, that she was with George (though, given that the boy was the cause of this, he wasn't sure how safe that was at the moment), and that it would be alright. It did little to actually quell his fears though. He couldn't help it, whenever danger was around and Angel wasn't within sight or hold...he could never focus.

He supposed there was one thing to be glad for...Angel wasn't the one in true danger this time, she hadn't been the one transported somewhere, it was just him. Alex was dealing with quite a lot at the moment and he was pretty sure having him go off his rocker with a mad and rather scary determination to save Angel would traumatize the man more than he already was.

"Responded to that need. What could do that?" he turned to the side, as though expecting Angel to be there with a guess that would inevitably prove closer to the realty than they realized...but she wasn't there...

' _Still here though,_ ' she called in his mind, which made him stop walking and just...take a breath.

He had forgotten how GOOD that felt, to have that hum in his mind, that tickle, her voice in his head. He hadn't noticed when he'd forgotten, his mind so closed off to connecting to hers, his memories wiped of ever having had that connection in the first place. But now...God he'd missed it so much. Being so connected to another person, feeling her presence, hearing her reassuring words, honestly just hearing her voice, even imagining her voice, reassured him more than anything.

"I thought you were the expert, fighting monsters all day long," Alex spoke, cutting him off from replying to Angel in his mind, "You tell me!"

"Oi, listen, mush," the Doctor rounded on him, the questions weren't helping! "Old eyes, remember? I've been around the block a few times. More than a few. They've knocked down the blocks I've been round and re-built them as bigger blocks. Super blocks! I've been round them as well. I can't remember everything."

"Doctor..." Alex trailed, hearing a grinding sort of breathing noise.

"It's like trying to remember the name of someone you met at a party when you were two..."

"Doctor, the lift."

"And I can't just plump for 'Brian' like I normally do."

"Doctor, listen!"

"Shh," he quieted, hearing the grinding as well, "What's that?"

"It's the lift. It's the sound that the lift makes. George is scared stiff of it," he looked over, seeing a set of 5 electric candles switch off one by one.

~8~

"It's alright George," Angel whispered to the boy as the shaking in the room slowly disappeared completely, "Now...what do you do once you've put something in the cupboard?" George looked over at the lights switch and Angel nodded to herself, "Five times yeah?"

He nodded and she smiled, "How about another trick, would you like that?" she reached out and put her hand on the wall, sending just a tiny bit of energy into it, glancing up at the light above them on the ceiling, George watching as it glowed a brilliant gold before fading, repeating the process five times.

He started to smile just a little, calming, "I like that light better."

"Me too," she reached out, brushing back some of his hair, hoping that she was doing ok on the calming front...she really had no idea what she was doing just...trying her best. Her nephew had rarely ever gotten as upset or scared as George was.

~8~

"We can't stay in here," Amy told Rory as she looked around, not seeing another door or way out, "We've got to get out!"

"Er, how?"

She grabbed him by the lapels, "Take control, Rory. Take control of the only thing we can. Letting them in!"

"Letting them _in_?"

"And then we surprise them. We open the door and we push past them. Kick them. Punch them. Anything. Ok?"

"Time to play!" came the muffled voice of one of the dolls.

"Ok," Rory sighed. They turned back to the door and he grabbed a mop as a weapon, Amy moving the spool.

"Go on!" she shouted, throwing the door open.

One of the dolls fell to the floor, having been pushing on the door and lost its balance. Rory quickly pushed past the other one with the mop, clearing the way for him and Amy to escape.

"Amy, come on!" he called back.

"Rory!" Amy screamed, having been caught in her attempt to follow.

Rory turned around, but could only watch in horror as Amy was turned into a wooden doll with fiery red hair.

~8~

Alex crouched down, watching as the 5 electronic lights turned on one at a time and then off, "Five times."

"What?" the Doctor looked over.

"The lights. It's happening five times. It's like one of George's habits," the Doctor knelt beside him, eyeing the bulbs intently, "We have to switch the light on and off five times."

The Doctor smiled softly though, seeing not the typical electric glow of a bulb like that, but a _golden_ one instead, "That a girl," he whispered to himself, realizing exactly what and who was making that glow, realizing exactly where they were now, how the light had gotten there, before patting Alex on the back, "Now you're getting it!"

"What d'you mean?"

"What do you tell George to do, Alex, with everything that scares him?"

"Well, put it in the...cupboard."

"George isn't just an ordinary little boy," he couldn't be. At first he'd thought it was something IN the cupboard that was affecting George, but now he realized it wasn't what was in the cupboard but who had PUT it there, "So, anything scary he puts in here. Scary toys, like the dollhouse. Scary noises, like, like the lift. Even his little rituals have become part of it. A psychic repository for all his fears..."

A doll entered the room behind them, the door squeaking. They turned around...just as it laughed.

"Oh my God!" Alex breathed as they stood up and the Doctor pulled out his sonic, trying to use it but it was ineffective, clearly because of one very large fault in the sonic, which left the doll open to advance upon them, "A gun? You've got a gun?!"

"It's not a gun," he muttered, frustrated, bashing the sonic on his hand, "Wood! I've _got_ to invent a setting for wood. It's embarrassing," they turned and ran for the opposite door, finding a large pair of purple safety scissors on the way, "Come on!" he pushed the doll away with the scissors and they ran from the room.

"Don't run away," the doll called, "We just want to play."

~8~

"Now, come along George," Angel took his hand, standing up, waiting till he was up as well before slowly inching towards the cupboard, "It's alright."

He started to shake and she stopped, turning to kneel before him, taking his hands in hers, squeezing them reassuringly, "George look at me," he looked up at her, his eyes wide in fear. She smiled softly, reaching out to touch his cheek in comfort, " _Nothing_ is going to hurt you, I _promise_ ," she crossed her hearts.

She understood now why the Doctor had stopped their search for this...she...she needed this too, she needed to know that she could protect a child, that she wasn't weak like she hadn't been able to stop thinking since Ayla was ripped away from her. She needed to know that she was strong, that it wasn't her fault, she'd been held captive for months on end and just given birth! By rights she shouldn't have been up and about for _hours_ after but she'd insisted on getting out of that room, wanting to leave the base as soon as possible. She had been at her weakest then and not because she herself was weak, but because of the circumstances beyond her control. Any and every woman would have been as weak as she had been at that moment, and it wasn't her fault that she had been so tired. It didn't mean she was naturally weak, it didn't mean she wasn't strong in other ways. She _could_ protect a child, she COULD. And she _needed_ this...she needed to prove to herself that she could do it, because if...no, _when_...they got Ayla back, she was never ever going to let anything hurt her baby again.

"I'll protect you from the monsters," she whispered, "But I'm going to need your help to stop them ok?"

George looked at her hesitantly, clearly still scared.

"I'm frightened to," she admitted to him, taking his hands again.

"Really?" he blinked.

She nodded, "To be honest, I'm rather afraid of the dark."

"Me too," he whispered.

She smiled, squeezing his hands, "But do you know what I do?" he looked at her and shook his head, "I...create light," she gave a small laugh, thinking back to when she'd stopped the Beast in the Pit, what she had called herself facing Toby. She squeezed George's hands again, holding them up for him to see her hands faintly glowing golden, casting a warm light on the two of them, " _I_ make the dark go away," she reached out and brushed his hair a bit, "YOU can make the monsters go away George, I _know_ you can. Because _you_..." she poked him in the stomach, making him laugh, "Are stronger than _them_."

George grew a tiny bit more serious, looking at her intently, "You'll go with me?" he asked her quietly.

"I won't leave your side," she promised, "And I won't let go of your hand either."

He took a breath before hesitantly nodding.

"Good," she smiled, standing, only dropping one of his hands, "Now, let's save your dad and the Doctor yeah?"

He squeezed her hand and turned to the cupboard...

~8~

The Doctor strode into the main foyer, the staircase behind him, holding the scissors as he thought out loud, "Massive psychic field. Perfect perception filter. And that need…" he tossed the scissors to Alex, who used them to fend off the doll that followed them, "That need of Claire's to...to..." his eyes widened, "Stupid Doctor!" he slapped his forehead, "Ow! George is a Tenza. Of course he is."

"He's a what?!" Alex called.

"A cuckoo. A cuckoo in the nest. A Tenza. He's a Tenza," he opened a door off to the side and quickly shut it as another doll was behind it, "Millions of them hatch in space and then whoomph!" he tried another door, "same result, "Off they drift, looking for a nest. The Tenza young can sense exactly what their foster parents want and then they assimilate. Perfectly."

"George is an...alien?" Alex pushed back the two dolls.

"Yup."

"But he's...he's our child!"

The Doctor started to walk up the stairs, "Of course he is. The child you always wanted. He sensed that instinctively and sought you out, but something scared him. Started this cycle of fear…" Alex joined him on the stairs as three dolls advanced now, "It's all completely instinctive. Subconscious. George isn't even aware that he's controlling it," he scratched his head, he could sense Angel making the boy aware, she just needed...a bit of help, "So we have to make him aware," he ran up the next flight, "George! Angel!"

~8~

"GEORGE!" Angel heard the Doctor call through the cupboard door, "Angel! George, you're the only one who can stop this, but you have to believe! You have to believe, you have to know you're safe!" George started to shake, "I can't save you from the monsters. Only you can! George, Listen to me!"

Angel knelt down again and gently put her arm around George's little shoulders, "It's ok George."

~8~

Rory worked his way down the stairs, fending off the dolls with a mop while the Doctor and Alex worked their way up, "Rory!" the Doctor shouted.

"Doctor!" he called.

"Where's Amy?" Rory pointed at the ginger doll, "George!"

~8~

"George, you have to face your fears. You have to face them now!"

"Everything will be just _fine_ ," Angel told George, squeezing his hand as he took it again and walked closer to the cupboard on his own accord, her right beside him.

"You have to open the cupboard or we'll all be trapped here forever in a living death! George! George, listen to me! George!"

"I don't want to open it," George admitted, his voice thick with tears.

"You don't have do it alone," Angel told him reassuringly, squeezing his hand as he stood before it, no child should ever be alone. She swallowed hard, thinking of Ayla, praying that they'd find her soon, every day was just another day she was alone.

"George listen to me! George!"

"I'm here," Angel whispered as he reached for the latch.

~8~

The Doctor, Rory, and Alex were crowded into a corner, surrounded by dolls, "Please! George, you have to end this! End this end this. End this now!"

...when the dolls suddenly stopped and the Doctor saw George standing in the center of the foyer below, clutching Angel's hand as she stood beside him.

"Angel!" he beamed, "George! George! You did it! You did it! It's ok, it's all ok now," of course it was, Angel was there, "Everything's going to be fine."

But then the dolls started moving away from them and _towards George_.

"No!" he cried, realizing they were also headed towards Angel as well, knowing they could apparently turn people into dolls like Amy had been, "No. No, no, no, no, no!" he leaned over the banister, "George, you created this whole world," he pleaded, needing the boy to stop the dolls before they made it down there, he couldn't risk touching them himself or get turned into one and he couldn't leave Angel to face this alone, he would never ever let her face anything alone ever again, "This whole thing, you can smash it! You can destroy it!"

George shook his head.

"Something's holding him back," Angel told him.

"Something's holding him back?" the Doctor frowned, trying to think, "Something..." and then he remembered George asking if they were taking him away and it finally all made sense. He looked at Alex, " _That's_ what did it. That's what the trigger was. He thought you were rejecting him. He thought he wasn't wanted. That someone was going to come and take him away."

The dolls moved closer to George, who was shaking with fear as he backed into Angel, the woman wrapping her arms before his chest as she stood behind him, her eyes starting to glow golden. The dolls came closer still, trying to reach him but a brilliant golden wall crackled to life before the pair, keeping the dolls out like a wall as they pressed against it, trying to break in.

"Well, we...we talked about it," Alex admitted.

"Yeah, and he _heard_ you, Alex," the Doctor glanced between him and Angel, worrying about her use of the Vortex. It shouldn't be too bad, it didn't take much to build a wall, but to maintain it for as long as they might need…and with the dolls pounding on it, he just wanted to get them to stop all the sooner, "A Tenza's sole function is to fit in, to be wanted, and you were _rejecting_ him."

"We just couldn't cope. We needed _help_!"

"Yes, but George didn't know that. He thought you were rejecting him. He _still_ thinks it."

"But how can we keep him? How can we? He's not..."

"Not what?"

Alex looked at George as he clung to the woman, the dolls around them, trying to break through, "He's not...human."

"No."

"Does that matter?" Angel's voice drifted over to him.

He looked down again to see the woman protecting his son… _his son_...

"Dad!" George shouted.

And that was it, he pushed the scissors into the Doctor's hands and ran down the stairs, pushing past the dolls as they tried to break through. He ran at the wall, prepared to bash into it when he simply...stepped through it as though it wasn't here. He looked at Angel who nodded and smiled at him, she had let him through.

He dropped to his knees and pulled George into a huge hug as the boy cried, "Whatever you are," he whispered to George, "Whatever you do, you're _my son_. And I will never, ever send you away. Oh, George. Oh, my little boy."

"Dad," George hugged him tightly, tears in his eyes.

~8~

The cupboard door flew open and light poured out.

~8~

"My little boy," Alex continued as light entered through the window, the dolls stopping, the wall disappearing.

"Dad," a tear escaped George's eye.

~8~

Mrs. Rossiter woke up among the garbage bags by the bins that morning, "Oh, dear. Must be them tablets. Oh. Oh, dear…"

~8~

The lift opened and Rory and Amy stepped out, "Was I..." Amy turned to him.

"Yeah."

~8~

Mr. Purcell woke up on his floor to his dog licking his hand before he hugged Bernard close.

~8~

Claire walked into the flat with a call of, "Hi!" to Alex and George. She stopped short though when she saw George in the kitchen, holding one of his toys, playing with another woman who was holding another toy as he sat on the counter, actually _laughing_ and _smiling_ as Alex and a strange man in a bowtie stood near by.

"Hello!" the Doctor called, catching sight of Claire as she entered the kitchen, "You're Claire, I expect. Claire..." he gave her two Gallic air kisses, "How'd you feel about kippers?" he moved to the stove.

"Er..." she pointed at the duo, looking at Alex for help, "Who..."

Alex glanced at the Doctor and Angel before turning to his wife, "They sent someone. About George. It's all sorted."

Claire moved over to George and rubbed his back as he eat a slice of bread the other woman had given him, "And we had the best time ever, didn't we Georgie?" Angel asked him.

"Yeah!" George beamed.

"See, he's fine," the Doctor smiled, moving over to Angel's side, careful to put his hand on the counter behind where she was leaning and not on her back like he was sorely tempted to do. He could feel her stiffen a moment before relaxing and was just thankful that she hadn't stepped further away from him. But it DID remind him, this was something they _needed_ to talk about, badly. He was never ever going to wait to make sure she was ok again, no, if something was wrong, he'd fix it _immediately_ , no matter what. He'd left her to deal with her problems on her own for too long, never again.

"What?" Claire rose an eyebrow, "Just like that?"

"Yes. Trust us."

Claire smiled as Alex kissed her on the cheek, George sitting on the counter, smiling at them and swinging his legs. The Doctor couldn't help but try to slide his arm from the counter to around her waist at the sight of the happy couple...but his smile faded, feeling her tense a bit even if she still didn't pull away.

~8~

The Doctor and Angel stepped out of the flat, heading towards the stairs when Alex followed them, "Doctor, Angel wait!"

"Sorry, yes," the Doctor turned, "Bye," he shook Alex's hand.

"You can't just...I mean..."

"It's sorted. You sorted it. Good man, Alex. Proud of you," he turned away, really just wanting to head back to the TARDIS so he and Angel could talk in private.

"What, that's it?"

Angel laughed, "Just be sure that he chews his food properly, eats plenty of greens, and gets into a good school. Just make sure he's happy Alex. Happy and...and safe," she swallowed, "That's all you need to worry about."

"But is he going to...I don't know, sprout another head or three eyes or something?"

"He's one of the Tenza remember?" the Doctor turned around, "He'll adapt perfectly now," George stepped out of the flat and he pointed at the boy, "Hey! Be whatever you want him to be," he turned to walk away but stopped, "We _might_ pop back around puberty, mind you. Always a funny time," before they turned and left, the Doctor shoving his hands into his pockets, trying to do anything to keep the temptation of taking Angel's hand at bay.

"Kippers are getting cold!" Claire shouted from inside.

Alex and George turned and headed, in, Alex with a gentle smile as he watched his son scamper ahead of him and hug his mother.

~8~

Angel led the Doctor across the courtyard and over to where Amy and Rory were sitting on a low brick wall, waiting for them, "Come on, you two," the Doctor called, "Things to do, people to see, whole civilizations to save," he sat in between them, glancing at Angel as she remained standing, there was plenty of space to sit beside him, but...it would have been close, and...it hurt that she hadn't sat down. He shook his head and looked at Amy, "You feeling ok?"

"Erm, I think so," Amy remarked.

He just put an arm around each of them, "Well, it's good to be all back together again. In the flesh. Come on," he stood up and turned to leave, Angel following behind.

~8~

The Doctor bound up the steps to the console as Amy and Rory followed, Angel shutting the doors behind her, "Now did someone mention something about planets and history and stuff? Where do you want to go?"

"Um..." Amy trailed.

"Mind's gone blank."

"Well, I _have_ just been turned into a wooden dolly."

"Excuses, excuses," he waved her off.

"It's tough though," Rory agreed, "It's like being given three wishes."

"The whole Universe? Or Univers _es_. Ooh, three wishes like Ali Baba. How about that?"

The Doctor started to babble on, actually talking so much and getting so into working the controls that he didn't even notice Amy and Rory slip out of the room to avoid having to listen to another ramble-turned-lecture from the absentminded Time Lord…or so Angel thought.

"Finally," he muttered, glancing at the staircase the Ponds had disappeared up, "Thought it would take more than that to get us alone."

Angel frowned, "You did that on purpose?"

He looked at her a moment before walking around the console to stand before her, eyeing her intention, "What's wrong?"

Oh how it _bothered_ him that he didn't know, that he had to ask, that was the beauty of the mental and emotional connection, you could feel what your Mate felt, see their thoughts, understand them in a way no other species could understand its significant other.

But Angel was hiding that from him.

And it was worrying him.

"What do you mean?" she asked, looking away just a bit.

"Angel," he said softly, reaching out to take her hand...only for her to fidget and turn to the console, setting random controls to avoid him, "I mean _that_ ," he pointed at her hand, "You keep avoiding me every time I try to touch you or you pull away or you tense up…have I done something wrong?"

"No," she turned to him, surprised he would think that, "No, you haven't. Not really…"

"Not _really_?" he frowned, "So I _have_ done _something_ then?" he already had a sneaking suspicion what it might be.

She sighed, "I suppose...I'm just...not..."

He closed his eyes, waiting for '...sure I want to be your Mate anymore...'

"Used to you touching me."

His eyes flew open at that as he stared at her in shock, that was _not_ what he was expecting. He was thinking something along the lines of her being angry with him for everything or being disgusted by his touch or something even worse, but this? He...really didn't understand, "What?"

"You haven't really…touched me…in almost three years," she explained quietly, fidgeting a bit more, it was so odd and so _wrong_ to feel so nervous about talking to him about them and their relationship, it should have been easy but...she hadn't really _talked_ to him in years, "I'm just…used to you not doing it now."

He started to frown, he truly believed he would _never_ stop cursing himself for allowing himself to forget their Mating, for allowing himself to be so distanced from her if it was affecting her even now that he remembered. He knew it wasn't his fault, but...he couldn't help but feel like he should have been stronger, his mind should have been stronger, better able to fight the Silent's command, it had taken him nearly 3 years to break through it enough to remember her. That alone was testament to how powerful an enemy the Silence could be, but...he still blamed himself for it. And it wasn't just this, how she wasn't used to him touching her, he knew it was so much more than that, it had affected her deeply, his amnesia, she was hiding so much from him it almost physically hurt to know she was doing it.

Because he...he was quite sure he knew _why_ she was doing it, why she wasn't sharing, but he refused to ask about _that_...hearing the answer, the answer regarding her trust in him...it would break him if he received the answer he feared.

"You're never going to forgive me are you?" he asked her quietly.

"I _can_ forgive you, I HAVE forgiven you," she looked at him, a truth in her eyes that let him know she really _had_ , she didn't blame him for what happened, she knew now that it was the Silence at fault, but...he also saw how haunted her eyes looked by the experience. She may have forgiven him, but he doubted she'd _ever_ be able to forget what that time had been like, how badly she'd been hurt by it all, "It wasn't your fault Theta."

"How?" he shook his head, sniffling as he felt tears in his eyes, Angel's hearts breaking still to see it, "How wasn't it _my_ fault? _I_ forgot you. I forgot you because some skeevy alien told me to? You've no idea how _sorry_ I am about that. How much I hate myself for..."

"I know," she cut in, not wanting him to talk about that, not wanting him to talk about how much hate and loathing he felt for himself, that wasn't her intention at all, to bring that up, and that wasn't something she wanted him to feel even after everything, "I understand, believe me I do, but Theta…" she shook her head, "You _have_ to understand something. For nearly _three years_ I was nothing more than an acquaintance to you. You barely even held my hand during all that time, I could probably count how often on one hand really. It's just…" she sighed, "To have you doing that again, being so affectionate and caring…I'm not used to it, not now, not from _you_."

"You will be," he reached out to take her hands, but curled his hands into fists instead, refraining, "I swear, I _promise you_ , I will do _everything_ to make it up to you and be just like how I used t..."

"Don't."

"What?" he frowned, his hearts freezing, hoping she wasn't going to tell him not to try or bother because she didn't want that anymore...didn't want HIM anymore...

"Theta…you're a _new person_ ," she looked at him, "When you asked me once about who I'd lost after we stopped Bracewell, everything I said was about your _last_ incarnation. All those things he did, were _him_. You're _different_. If…if you don't WANT to hold my hand or kiss me, or be so open about our relationship...I'll...be alright with that," it was only a half-truth, she supposed she'd get used to it again, she would never ever want to force him to do something after a regeneration just because his last self had, but...she really _did_ miss so much of the little things that she had, little things that made every relationship what it was, touch, "Because you aren't him, just as he isn't you. I don't want you to do things with me because you feel like you _have_ to just because you used to. _That's_ what's been making me so uncomfortable, I can't help but feel like it isn't really YOU, but that you're trying to replicate who you were to make me happy."

"And you're not happy?"

"YOU make me happy Theta," she whispered, making him smile softly to hear that she...she was still able to feel happy around him even with how terrible he'd been to her, "Just you, whatever version of you. Just be yourself and I'll adapt. Don't force yourself to be someone you're not anymore. I'll understand if you don't hold my hand because, I've _seen_ you, you don't seem to hold anyone's hand. The old you..." she shrugged, "He held EVERYONE's hand, companions, victims, me, but you don't really do that much, do you?" she asked, trying to point it out to him, "I've had a few years with this version of you and even when you couldn't hear me, I could hear you. I _know_ you, inside and out, so I'll know if it's not something you want to do, ok? Just be YOU. _That_ will make me happy."

"You really _are_ an angel Nella, and that's _me_ saying it. You really, truly are. I honestly don't know what I've done to deserve you."

"The feeling's mutual."

"And…since we're on the topic," he began, a faint blush on his cheeks, "I never held Amy's hand or anyone else's because…I just…it didn't feel _right_ to hold someone else's hand. It was like…" he trailed off, trying to think of the words to describe how he'd felt all that time, "I wanted to hold your hand but…I didn't know why, so I just ignored it. And…if I couldn't hold your hand…then I just wouldn't hold others' hands because, it wouldn't be the same. I don't even think I _realized_ I wanted to hold _your_ hand," he admitted, thinking more on it now, "But…I think, the feeling of holding someone's hand was in the back of my mind. Like, I knew I wanted to hold someone's hand, someone special, _important_ , but I just couldn't remember who it was…and it was _you_ ," he eyed her a moment, seeing something in her eyes, "That's not it all though, is it?" she swallowed and tried to look away, "Nella," he whispered, a begging note in his voice, " _Please_."

She sighed, "I…I also started to think…it would be...easier for me, if you _didn't_ hold my hand or if I didn't let you touch me much."

"Why?" he frowned.

She took a breath, not wanting to admit this fear of hers, but knowing she needed to to move past it, George had showed her that just before, she needed to face her fears and, while she was sure she wasn't ready to bring all of them to light, this was the first step and that was what they needed, the first step, "Because then, when you regenerate and forget me, it wouldn't hurt as much to go from someone who rarely held my hand to nothing than it did to go from the man you were to the man you became."

There.

She'd said it.

His mouth very nearly dropped open at her declaration. She truly believed that he would _forget her again_ , even knowing that it had been the Silence's fault this time. He could understand how that fear had grown though, grown too strong to let go or change. She'd spent years not knowing why he'd forgotten, not even having considered the Silence, but thinking it had been his choice or something going wrong in the regeneration. He could understand why that would still be a fear even now, things like that didn't disappear over night. She was...scared, that he might one day _willingly_ want to forget her.

"That will _never_ happen," he promised her quietly, "Never again. I won't let it, I promise."

"You can't control something like that," she shook her head. He couldn't, regeneration was...tricky, some things might be managed, but, often, there was no control over what would happen, it was too violent and extreme, especially the Doctor's lately.

He was silent a moment before speaking again, "Do you want to know what I was thinking the last time. Not me, the…the other me, the one before? What he was thinking right before he regenerated?" Angel looked at him, "I was thinking that I didn't want to go, that I didn't want to leave you. I…I didn't want someone else to take you away from me…" he looked her in the eye, knowing that she'd heard his thoughts as he regenerated, that those thoughts had been a source of her fears that he had wanted to forget her, "That will _never_ happen again, because…I don't _ever_ want you to go through something like this ever again. And if that means sharing you with myself then I will. I will make sure I _always_ remember you Nella."

She looked deep into his eyes, seeing his promise in them, the truth, he would force his last thoughts to be about that if he had to. Anything to make himself remember her, "Ok," she breathed.

He smiled, knowing that her fears on that subject wouldn't disappear completely, not until he regenerated again in the future and proved that he still remembered her after. He was actually fairly certain that it would be a fear that came up each and every time he did regenerate, but he would prove it to her, he would prove to her he'd remember.

"But...you ARE right about one thing though," he began as she looked at him, confused, "All those things I used to do, all the different ways I liked to hold and touch you…that _was_ the last me and that's not the me that I am now."

She nodded, feeling her hearts break just a tiny bit that he seemed to be admitting that he didn't want to touch her either…

But then he reached out to her, just holding out a hand, "But you know what? I think this new me needs to find out _exactly_ what part of you he loves the most."

She looked at him, feeling herself start to smile. She should have known better than to think it was what she'd thought. She was…relieved and SO thankful that her Mate was so understanding. He'd taken all she had to say in stride and…he was making a conscious effort to reassure her and to make sure that not only was she comfortable with him again, but that HE was comfortable with how he acted around her too.

The Doctor smiled as he saw those thoughts in her mind. He really _would_ have his work cut out for him wouldn't he? In getting her back to the way they had been, no…not the way they'd been, that was the point of that talk. They couldn't be how they'd been because they weren't the same people, or he wasn't. And that was…ok. That was fine, brilliant really, because…he liked the new him. Very much. And he knew…the new him, them together, it would be even better. He knew it would be because he'd found that in each life he lived, each incarnation of Angel, each incarnation of himself, things just got better and better. This last round for him hadn't started off on the best foot, but he was determined to make it even better than the last.

He looked at her, seeing her staring at his hand, "Please," he whispered, opening his fingers a little bit more for her to take his offered hand.

Angel took a breath and gently lifted her left hand, placing it in his…

And he immediately started in, tugging her closer, lifting her hand right towards his face and excitedly and animatedly studied her fingers. She laughed as he pulled her fingers apart gently and looked at each and every individual detail about her hands. Her fingertips, her fingerprints, her fingers, her palm, the lines on her palm, nothing escaped his notice, not even her wrist, which he'd moved around, muttering something about checking for any weakness in the dorsal tubercle. It was almost like he was checking to see if she was as perfect as he always thought she was.

"Doctor stop," she laughed as his finger gently brushed along her wrist, "Be serious," she fidgeted a bit, realizing that the skin on her wrist was actually quite ticklish now. That was funny, she hadn't noticed that before. It could have been because his last self didn't really tickle or touch her wrist very much, but the Doctor just looked at her, his face growing into a very serious expression.

"I _am_ Nella," he told her, "I am being _very_ serious," watching her intently as he slowly and gently started trailing his finger up her arm to her shoulder, watching her expression for any sort of discomfort that she had previously felt. Thankfully, at the moment, she seemed more curious as to what he was doing and a bit…flushed, but…comfortable enough. He took a chance, slowly moving closer to her as he wound his arms behind her, "I am going to look and study every single aspect of you," he murmured, giving her a slight squeeze, before trailing arms back down her arms to her hands, taking them and holding her arms away from her so he could look her up and down, a soft smile coming to his face as he took her in completely, "Do you know," he grinned, looking into her eyes again, but not finishing.

"What?" she shook her head, his thoughts were…fuzzy.

He laughed at that, his thoughts were always fuzzy when she was around or when he thought of her. He brought her hands closer together, holding them, stroking his thumbs over her knuckles, "Do you know," he continued, "I love _each_ and _every_ part of you."

Angel blinked and…slowly started to smile, seeing in his mind that…he really _did_ love everything about her. Her hair, the color of her hair, the style it, the feel of it, her skin color, her eyes, her nose, her mouth, her smile, her neck and shoulders, he loved the color and the style of dress, how well it suited her, how well she wore it, her cowboy boots, her legs, the length of her legs, just…everything about her he seem to love and she could see everything about her he wanted to touch and hold as well.

He smiled and gently started to tug her closer to him, letting her walk to him as he moved his arms behind her back once more. He looked at her intently, just studying her face, "I will never ever get tired of looking at you Nella," he told her in a gentle whisper, slowly leaning in to rest his forehead to hers, closing his eyes when she didn't pull away, and just took a deep breath.

Angel's smile grew a bit wider, realizing he was actually sniffing her much like he had when Ayla had been born.

" _May I kiss you Nella?_ " he whispered to her, in a language that touched her so deeply she felt the breath leave her.

She could scarcely bring herself to speak, feeling the moment was so powerful…the moment where she realize that he really _wasn't_ trying to be who he was…that to speak would ruin it. He wasn't actively trying, nor had he been, to be like his old self, but this new him was still trying to find out his own unique aspects in his new self. And he was being so…wonderful, so considerate of her, making sure she was ok with his touches…

And so…she gave him a small nod against his forehead.

He beamed at that as he pulled away to gaze upon her. He reached out a hand, slowly moving it to her chin instead of her cheek, curling a finger and letting it rest beneath her chi, slowly lifting her head up as he looked into her eyes, making sure he stared into them as long as he could while leaning in…and gently pressing his lips to hers.

Angel gasped softly into the kiss as she felt what he felt…and it was, oddly enough, like nothing she had ever felt from him before, even from his last self. There was a desperation in his kiss, but not a bad one, more like he _needed_ this. He needed much more but that the kiss was the first step. She could feel his emotions, his longing for this, his relief that they were healing, his desire for her, his need and want and how _badly_ he had needed this moment.

This was more than just a kiss, this was the start, the first step they both needed to begin to heal themselves and each other.

She slowly began to kiss back, feeling his intentions as well, he wanted the kiss to last as long as possible. She felt his…starvation? If that was the right word, how much he craved this and had missed this, how much more he wanted it having been denied it so long, not just from his memory loss either. It had been months since he had actually really kissed her like this, the last one she could think of being during Demons Run just after Ayla had been born.

She was…startled by one thing though, yes she could feel his desperation…but she hadn't realized just how much SHE had needed this as well. She saw it in his mind, he was likening the kiss to breathing, feeling like he could _finally_ breathe again. She felt…comforted, reassured, relieved…the kiss was rather nice and she _had_ missed it. To her…the kiss represented their closeness, the closeness she had missed terribly. She missed him touching her and kissing her and smiling at her and all the other little things that had seemed to have vanished. But the sparkle in his eyes was back, he was back, THEY were back.

Yes, this was a different Doctor and he would change things up in the future, she was certain of that now that he was aware of why she was so hesitant to let him touch her before. But this kiss…she could feel herself starting to cry a little bit as she kissed him, felt a tear escape her and fall down her cheek gently. She honestly hadn't realized how much she herself had needed this kiss.

The kiss, true to the Doctor's intentions, lasted quite a while, the two of them standing in the console room, the TARDIS gently and happily humming around them, the glow of the rotor brightening, as they just…held each other. A moment or two after air had truly begun to be a problem, the Doctor pulled away. He hadn't wanted to, he hadn't wanted to give it up, not when he finally was starting to get Angel back, not when could finally _kiss_ her again.

He rested his forehead to hers, his eyes closed, a truly happy smile on his face that spoke volumes of how much he had wanted that kiss and how much it meant to him.

"Rule three," he murmured to himself.

Angel blinked up at him, feeling just a tiny bit dazed by that kiss, she was still trying to catch her breath, "What?"

His eyes fluttered open as he stared at her dreamily, reaching out slowly to let a gentle finger stroke the side of her face, being careful to move slowly so she would see it coming and hopefully not flinch back now that they had talked, and it seemed like that method was working, "I mean…when we were human," he began, reminding her of that time, "Do you remember what I told you after we had kissed when I sketched you? What I said about kissing my wife?"

She sucked in a soft breath, hearing him speak of other adventures, adventure she knew he had forgotten, adventures she knew he had remembered differently than how they'd happened. She had seen in his mind that he remembered when they had turned themselves human, but she knew that, in his past memories, before he'd remembered, he had thought…or his mind had reworked…the entire situation so that she was simply an old friend of the family that had accompanied him.

"Well?" he grinned, feeling how pleased she was that he had brought up that adventure, called her his wife as she had truly been at the time.

"That you liked kissing me," she murmured.

He let out a soft laugh, shaking his head, "No…I said…I could spend the rest of my life kissing you," he told her, "And I wasn't lying Nella," his voice grew deeper as he gazed upon her, "I truly could spend the rest of my lives, all my regenerations, all must future incarnations just…kissing you," he blushed a bit, "I love kissing you," he looked at her, in her eyes, "I love YOU Nella. So much."

She blinked quickly, feeling tears prickling her eyes, no matter what, no matter what had happened, it felt SO good to hear him say that, "I love you too Theta."

It would take time…to get back to a place where they could move on past the hurt and heal the damage…but, looking at him now, she knew…they'd make it. They always could, no matter what, if they stayed together, they could face anything.

"Smith and Jones eh?" he whispered, catching those thoughts, "Definitely no better team."

She had just started to smile at that…when a yawn overtook her, making her flush and look away in embarrassment, feeling the moment draw to a close at her action.

But the Doctor didn't seem cross at all, he merely gave her a gentle smile and a soft laugh, remembering how her nap from before had been interrupted, "What say we head off to bed?" he looked around, "Seems Amy and Rory may have done the same."

"They did," she nodded. They turned and headed towards the stairs, walking towards the bedrooms.

The Doctor headed towards the dark wooden door that marked his room, pushing it open...when he heard another door open behind him and looked back to see Angel standing before her light brown door, "Where are you going?" he frowned, watching her.

She turned around, "My room…" she said slowly.

He turned to face her fully, looking between her and his bedroom, "Isn't it _this_ room?" he nodded at his room, _their_ room, what should be their room.

She blushed just a bit and looked down, "I…didn't know how you'd feel…"

He tilted his head, confused, "How I'd feel having my Mate sleeping in my bed?"

"Having _me_ sleep in your bed," she corrected. He read between the lines of course, she was referring to the sleeping arrangements that she had reverted to when he'd forgotten her, "The TARDIS gave me my room when you forgot," she added as though sensing his thoughts.

"You…haven't been in this room after I remembered?" he looked at his bed, it was still a mess from the last time _he'd_ slept there.

"No," she shook her head.

He looked down, he'd thought, even when they'd been asleep at different times all summer and the time that followed, wanting to make the most of their time to find Ayla, that she'd been sleeping in _his_ room as well, well _their_ room. He supposed he was wrong.

His head, and that wouldn't do at all, no...he shouldn't be JUST finding things like this out. They'd both been not sleeping at the same time, but...he should have known. He WOULD have known if he'd slept when she did or vice versa.

That had to stop.

They wouldn't be able to heal and recover if they were still distant like that.

He looked over at her, seeing her fidget but not heading into her room yet, "You know…when I wake up," she looked at him, "Even before I remembered, every time I woke up...I was always holding a pillow to my chest, couldn't fall asleep without holding it like that," he let out a little chuckle, "I had no idea why…but now I _know_ …I missed you Nella," he looked at her, "I missed waking up with you in my arms, I miss falling asleep with you beside me," he held out a hand to her, silently promising that they wouldn't take turns sleeping any longer, no.

Not only was this a way to be closer to her, he knew that it would do them both a world of good to start small, just...sleeping beside each other, holding each other, just...sleeping. He also knew this was a way to make sure she slept, he'd noticed she slept less than him, and it was his job to take care of her.

And...he really did miss her.

Angel gave him a soft smile, seeing the opening he was providing her and...while she was still just slightly hesitant...she...she missed waking up to see him beside her too. Every time she woke up in her room, alone, it just...made her fearful for a minute or two that she'd simply dreamed him remembering her, that she'd step out of her room and find he'd still forgotten her. This...she needed this too, she needed to wake up beside him to remember that it wasn't a dream, it had happened, he'd _remembered_ her.

She nodded to herself and took his hand, making him beam as he turned and led her into _their_ bedroom once more, the door slowly shutting behind them, the TARDIS quieting, piloting herself to the Vortex to make sure her Pilots got a full and peaceful night's sleep, they would need their strength to find their daughter.

~8~

" _Tick tock goes the clock  
And what now shall we play?  
Tick tock goes the clock  
Now summer's gone away?_

_Tick tock goes the clock_  
_And what then shall we see?_  
_Tick tock until the day_  
_That thou shalt marry me._

_Tick tock goes the clock_  
_And all the years they fly._  
_Tick tock and all too soon_  
_You and I must die._

_Tick tock goes the clock_  
_She knows the secret not to tell_  
_Tick tock goes the clock_  
_Even for the Angel..._ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awww, fluff! :') It's been SO long! Oh my God! I think I nearly went out of my mind not writing the fluff :( So I really hope you all enjoyed getting it back ^-^ I hope the scene lived up to expectations :) But now we know why Angel was hesitant to let him closer and now that the Doctor knows...well, he's very creative in working through problems ;) And I think Angel will very much enjoy that.
> 
> I can say there's quite a few issues still to come, the next episode will have a rather BIG revelation for the Doctor and then we get Angel and the Doctor's worst fears exposed and even Closing Time will be hard on them, all of which will involve issues that need to be resolved :( But there will be ample fluff to make up for that no worries ;)


	33. The Girl Who Waited: Two Buttons

The console room was quiet, quieter than normal, even the gentle hum of the rotor was dimmed, as though the box knew exactly how important the conversation going on within her control room was. A very important man had just been made aware of all the new and worrisome information that had been gathered over the last few weeks about said man's goddaughter and the state his sister was in.

"We just don't know what to do Jack," Rory sighed, rubbing his head as he and Amy stood before the monitor, speaking to Jack at Torchwood, "She won't talk to me."

Jack frowned, "Angie's…special."

"Tell me something I don't know," Rory smiled.

Jack laughed, "Look _you_ know she's special, _I_ know she's special, hell the entire _Universe_ does, everyone except…"

"Angel," Amy nodded.

"Yeah, she…" he hesitated, debating whether to tell them or not, "She's never fully believed she was good enough for the Doctor."

"That's ridiculous," Rory frowned.

"Tell me something I don't know," Jack mimicked, "But…she tries. To prove it to herself in different ways. Sometimes…there's things that she wants to work out on her own, to prove she CAN."

They were all so worried about her, especially Rory. Angel used to talk to him all the time, about everything, and he knew she was dealing with a lot that she would normally talk to him about. He just...he knew he'd travelled with Angel the longest out of the other companions, but he knew that time didn't always matter when it came to how well you knew someone. Jack was one of the people he knew that had kept popping up in Angel's life, and Jack was her older brother, he was...really the only one he trusted to talk to about Angel, well, man to man at least. Mickey was great, but he knew that the man would think of Angel in a protective companion way, he was...at a crossroads of sorts. He wasn't just Angel's companion, he was also her brother. And right now he didn't need to talk to someone in a companion capacity but a brother capacity and Jack was the only one of the two other men who really knew Angel that could speak from that experience and from that feeling.

"She didn't tell the Doctor she had the Vortex," Jack told them, "Because she wanted to work out how it happened, why she had it, so that, when she did talk to him, she could talk and know what she was saying. She...gets that way from time to time, she just wants to prove herself, prove she's smart and capable. Sometimes...you need to give her time."

"Right," Rory sighed.

"And a hug," Jack added, "Never underestimate a hug when it comes to Angel, both giving and receiving."

"Yeah, I know," Rory started to smile, which made Amy smile to see.

She could really see how Rory and Angel were suited as companion and Pilot, they were both so similar but...she noticed while Angel managed to get others to see how brilliant they were, no matter what she never really saw how incredible SHE was.

"And thanks," Jack continued, "For telling me about Ayla, that she managed to escape, that she's out there somewhere, we'll adapt our searches for that instead of just tracking Kovarian."

"But we still are though, right?" Gray appeared behind Jack, having been working in the background, "We're still gonna try to find Kovarian."

"Why?" Amy frowned, if Ayla wasn't with them...

"No one messes with the family," Gray said, a hard tone in his voice that spoke volumes of brotherly protection.

"You do realize you just made it sound like we're a part of the mob or something yeah?"

"We just want to have a...chat," Jack smirked.

"That didn't help Jack," Amy shook her head at him as she and Rory laughed, "But listen, call us if you find either of them," she ordered lightly, "I have a few choice words to say too."

Rory smiled at that, he should make popcorn for when that happened. When Amy really got angry...it was quite scary to witness, but also very entertaining.

"You got it Red," Jack winked, before reaching out and ending the transmission.

The Ponds were silent for a moment, when Rory quietly asked, "She'll be ok, won't she?"

Amy smiled at that, at the concern in his voice, and walked over to him, putting her arms around him from behind, leaning in to rest her chin on his shoulder, "With us around and everyone else there for her," she nodded, "She will be," she turned, kissing him on the cheek...only for Rory to turn his head and kiss her lips instead, not that she was complaining at all...

"Oh kissing," they heard the Doctor speak and pulled apart to see him standing by the stairs with Angel beside him, "Let's go take a few laps in the pool then," he remarked to Angel.

"Oh get in here," Amy rolled her eyes, watching, her smile growing, as the Doctor took Angel's hand slowly, the girl letting him, and he led her down to the controls.

"Right," Rory stepped away from the monitor to give them space, "Where to now?"

The Doctor looked at Angel, taking the hand he was still holding with his other, holding it in both hands as he lifted it to his lips, kissing the back of it as he looked into her eyes, it was...similar yet different to how he used to kiss her hand. The last him would just lift it with a hand but he found...he really DID like touching her too much and wanted to hold her hand in both of his. He smiled, seeing her start to smile as well, realizing this was something new that HE wanted to do, "You..." he slowly started backing her up, to the jump seat, guiding her to sit as he knelt before her a moment, "Sit right...here," he beamed.

"Why?" she shook her head.

He just held up a finger, "No peeking," he leaned forward as he stood, kissing her quickly...and again...and again...it seemed this new him loved kissing her more than the old him had. Whereas his last self needed at least 2 kisses to be able to pull himself away from her, he needed about 3, which was just fine in his book. He pulled back, wiggling his nose to hers as he winked, before turning and running around the controls of the TARDIS.

Angel watched him curiously, he was hiding his thoughts, wanting it to be a surprise, but...she could see him, how intently he looked at the controls, he really wanted to be sure that they got where he wanted them to go this time.

And he was intent, he really REALLY needed this to go right. They'd been all over the place, making adventures for Amy and Rory but there was _always_ another reason for them to go to the places they went to. Often it was due to some clue or suspicion about Ayla's whereabouts that led them there, however this trip was different. This trip HAD to be different.

Because Angel had woken up _screaming_ earlier.

And it broke his hearts.

Their last trip had been...FAR more devastating than any of the previous ones. They'd gotten word of a travelling association of sorts, one that was made up of rare and unique aliens. They had hoped, at the very least, that they could reach these people and, if they came across Ayla in their travels and searchings, that they would let them know and they could get Ayla back. They'd hoped, at the very most, completely unrealistically, that Ayla might be among them, nothing was more rare than a Time Lord, there were only three in the entire Universe left and none as young as Ayla was.

What they'd found had just...killed them, forced them to see the most brutal and cruel aspects that humanity was capable of. It hadn't been an association at all, it had been a zoo, a travelling zoo, where visitors could come and look at the rare aliens, kept in cages, dirty, hungry, hurt...and poke fun at them, could stare and shout and prod at them. The aliens, they were all in such terrible conditions and the worst part of all was that...there were children as well. There were young aliens there, some clinging to a parent, some just curled up and so...scared.

They had flown into a full on panic, now terrified that Ayla would be among them. They'd run through every exhibit, but seen no sign of a Time Lord. And that was something they knew the keepers would NOT keep under wraps, not even if they were aware of Kovarian and the Silence, that was something they would advertise. Especially to show how such a mighty race had fallen, how little they were, how...destroyed. Luckily Ayla wasn't there, but that hadn't stopped them from devising a plan to free all the aliens and get them back to their proper homes, to patch them up in the med-bay and get them out safely.

It hadn't stopped HIM from threatening the keepers to within an inch of their lives for what they'd done, quite possibly an overreaction but all he could think about was what if AYLA had been in such conditions, what if the torment they inflicted upon the other aliens they'd done to her as well? He had flown off the handle the moment the keepers had come to confront them and try to stop the escape and release...

Angel had been a pillar of strength despite her tears and how terribly affected she was by that, by seeing the children left to such a fate. She had gotten him to stop, as she always did, though this time he knew even SHE had struggled to do so, to bring herself to make him back down. It had taken her throwing herself in between him and one of the keepers and hugging him tightly, begging him to please get them out of there NOW that had made him stop. Hearing her starting to cry...knowing that she didn't want to be anywhere near there any longer...he'd turned and left, giving them one final warning to not dare take up such a hobby again (a threat he was fairly certain they'd heed given how white they'd gone and how terrified they'd looked). It wasn't everyday that one of the aliens that were so rare stood up to them and raged against them...and the keepers, knowing all about rare aliens, had known exactly what a Time Lord, an angry Time Lord, was capable of.

The aliens had all thanked them greatly for their help, the children clinging to Angel who had made sure they were all safe again, before they left, each of them dropped off with their people, where they'd be safe. And...Angel had smiled, to see that they were ok, to know Ayla hadn't been subjected to that...but it seemed she was more affected than he'd thought.

She'd had a nightmare, woken up in a cold sweat, woken him up as well as she jolted awake, terrified him and made his hearts stop when she'd screamed as she woke. He'd immediately taken her into his arms, trying to calm her as she sobbed, muttering broken words about how 'She was there' and 'They were hurting her' and 'We couldn't save her.' It had killed him, nightmares...were hard. Nightmares, doubts, illness, were the three things he couldn't make better nearly instantly. It was the same for anyone, you could do so much for someone but when it was something in their head or in the body that he couldn't physically fix himself, it was something they had to do themselves.

All he had been able to do was hold her, thanking every star he knew the name of and some that he'd invented that he had been there this time. He'd closed his eyes, wondering but not wanting to know just how many times she'd woken since he'd regenerated, screaming from a nightmare or been unable to sleep for fear of them or cried because of him. But he was there now, he hadn't let her go, had just held her and rocked her and whispered comforts in her ear till she had managed to calm down. And he saw it, her dream, that Ayla had been at the zoo, that she'd been taken and hurt and that they'd been too late to save her.

And so...he had determined that if they both didn't unwind at some point they would either collapse, do something potentially rash and dangerous (more him than her), or completely breakdown (more her than him). So this trip...this HAD to be a 'calm down' trip. As terrible as it was and as much as he didn't want to take it...it had to be a trip somewhere that they _knew_ they _wouldn't_ find Ayla in. They needed to go somewhere with on expectations to be crushed, with no hope to be shattered, they needed...just one trip where they weren't let down about finding their daughter, where they didn't come away feeling like failures because they hadn't found her yet. If they didn't go somewhere like that soon...they would break, and then what good would they be to finding Ayla again?

He pulled a lever, the destination set, making sure to make it slightly less of a bumpy ride, and grinned at Angel, "Apalapucia!"

"Say it again?" Amy asked as she and Rory stood on the other side of the console.

"Apalapucia?" Angel looked at the Doctor a bit surprised, now that she knew where they were...she could see his plan and his intentions in her mind, it _was_ a good trip, Apalapucia was beautiful. While she didn't want to put off their search any more than he did...she could admit...they needed this, she honestly didn't think she could take another trip like the last one so soon.

"Apalapucia," he nodded.

"Apalapu..." Amy began slowly.

"Cia," Angel finished.

"Apalapucia," Rory repeated.

"Apalapucia," the Doctor pulled another lever, setting the box down to a landing.

"Apalapucia," Amy finally managed, "What a beautiful word."

"Oh it's not just a beautiful word Amy," Angel smiled, slightly. She could understand the Doctor's reasons for doing this, giving them one place that wasn't involved with their daughter's disappearance. Every time they went on a trip to some planet to try and catch a glimpse or hint of someone who might be able to help them, they were always let down. Even when her sensations told her there would be no help to be found there she would still _hope_. They'd been let down so often…they just needed _one_ trip to lift their spirits and Apalapucia would, hopefully, do it, "It's one of the most beautiful worlds."

The Doctor nodded, "Apalapucia, voted number two planet in the 'Top Ten Greatest Destinations for the Discerning Intergalactic Traveler.'"

"Why couldn't we go to number one?" Rory asked.

"It's hideous. Everyone goes to number one. Planet of the coffee shops and Angel prefers tea. So...Apalapucia! I give you sunsets, spires, soaring silver colonnades!" he led them to the TARDIS doors, "I give you..." and threw them open...only to see an empty white space with a set of double grey doors on one end, looking rather much like a set of lift doors with two buttons on the side.

"Doors."

"Doors…" the Doctor trailed, a bit let down but unwilling to let this deter him, "Yes. I give you doors," he stepped out with Angel, Rory behind them, "But on the other side of those doors, I give you sunsets, spires, soaring silver colonnades."

"Have you seen my phone?" Amy asked them as she hung out of the TARDIS doors.

"Your _phone_?" the Doctor looked back at her.

"Yeah."

"Your mobile telephone? I bring you to a paradise planet, two billion light years away, and you want to update Twitter?"

"Sunsets. Spires. Soaring silver colonnades. It's a _camera_ phone."

Angel smiled, "I think you left it by the DVDs on the counter."

Amy grinned, "Thank you," and turned to head back into the TARDIS while Angel and the Doctor moved over to where Rory was standing by the doors.

"How do we get in?" Rory asked them, looking at the two buttons beside the door, a green anchor and a red waterfall.

"I don't know," the Doctor shook his head, "Push a button?"

Angel eyed the buttons a moment before reaching out to push the green anchor on the top, it was a lovely shade of green, much like the Doctor's eyes...she blushed, just KNOWING he was grinning behind her at that. She glanced over to see he was in fact beaming widely, having caught that thought.

' _Why do you think I picked the planet of the soaring SILVER colonnades?_ ' he asked in her head, gently taking her hand in his, squeezing it.

She started to smile at that, at how he'd picked the planet because of the color of her eyes. This him seemed to love her eyes as much as the last him, but where she knew the last him had been a fan of her 'hot chocolate and golden sprinkle' colored eyes, THIS him loved her liquid-silver ones more. She had little time to really think more on that as the doors slid open to reveal a plain white room with a pair of chairs and a table beyond, a large magnifying glass-like object sitting on top of it.

"Ok," the Doctor sighed, pouting, "So, rain check on the soaring silver colonnades," he'd been SO hoping to get a picture of Angel next to them, to compare the different silvers and determine if the colonnades could hold a candle to Angel's eyes...not that he thought they could.

They entered the room slowly and looked around, the doors sliding shut behind them, "It's a magnifying glass," Rory eyed the device on the table.

Angel frowned and looked through it at him, "More of a looking glass I think," she murmured as the Doctor examined it too.

~8~

Amy stepped out of the TARDIS to see Angel, Rory, and the Doctor nowhere insight, "Hey?" she walked over to the doors, "Hey, it's locked."

"Yeah, push the button," Rory called through the door.

Amy squinted at the buttons and pushed the red waterfall, the doors sliding open, it was a very similar room to the one the others were in, including the magnifying glass on the table, "Rory?" she wondered, stepping into the room, trying to spot him.

"Come on, Amy!" Rory called from behind her.

She turned to go, but the doors shut behind her, "Great!"

~8~

Rory sighed and turned to open the doors, having heard Amy out there...but she wasn't there any longer. He frowned, "Where is she?" he could have sworn he'd just heard her a moment ago, "Where on wherever we are is my wife?"

The Doctor looked over at Angel as she sat down by one of the chairs, looking intently at the magnifying glass before she reached out and pressed a green button on it, a blurry picture of Amy appearing in the glass, peering into it as well. She looked up at the Doctor, alarmed.

"Rory..." he called, moving to sit beside Angel and look at the glass, "I think we've found her."

Amy frowned as he saw them through the glass.

"What do you mean you've found her?" Rory walked over, jumping back when he saw Amy there through the glass but not in the room, "Whoa! No, but, she's not...she's not here! I can see her, but she's not here."

"Where am I?" Amy asked them, "In fact, where are you?"

The doors to their room opened and a white droid with no face and fleshy hands stood before them, its hand up. The Doctor and Rory turned and put their hands up in greeting/surrender while Angel remained sitting, looking through at Amy.

"Whoa," Rory looked at the bot, surprised.

"Hands!" the Doctor pointed, "Hello. Hands. Handbot with hands, Rory."

"Welcome to the Twostreams Facility," the Handbot greeted, "Will you be visiting long?"

"Doctor," Angel called, getting his attention.

"Something's happening," Amy groaned a bit.

"Amy!" the Doctor moved back to the glass as the picture cut out, moving to semi-static, "Stay calm! Stay still!" he watched as the picture sped up, cutting to Amy in different positions, "Ah, time's gone wobbly," he flashed the sonic on the glass, "I hate it when it does that."

The Handbot reached out a hand to Rory, "Will you be visiting long?"

Rory jerked back away from it, "Good question, bit sinister. What's the answer to not get us killed?"

The Doctor grinned as he finally got Amy's picture back. She was sitting curled up in the corner of the room, "It's ok, I've got you, you're fine."

"Will you be visiting long?" the Handbot repeated.

"Doctor, a little help," Rory called, backing up as the Handbot followed, "Angel…"

"And where have _you_ been?" Amy asked them tensely.

"Will you..." the Handbot started again.

"What do I tell it?" Rory asked them.

"I've been here a _week_!" Amy snapped.

"A week?!" the Doctor's eyes widened, "A week?! I'm so sorry!"

"I think...it's the same room but at different times," Angel told him, frowning as she eyed the glass, trying to work out what was wrong with Amy so that she could go help Rory, "It's like..." she shook her head, "Two time streams that are running parallel but...running at different speeds."

The Doctor's mouth dropped open as he looked at her, the sonic confirming her thoughts a moment later, "Amy, you're in a faster time stream."

Amy looked around, starting to get scared, "Doctor, it's going again!"

The Handbot reached out its hand closer to Rory, "Doctor! Angel!"

"AMY!" the Doctor shouted as the image went wonky again.

"DOCTOR!" Amy yelled, "ANGEL!"

~8~

Amy was sitting at the chair with her feet up on the table when the Doctor managed to reconnect the glass next, probably moments for them but ages for her, "Come on," he was muttering.

"I've got it Doctor," Angel told him and Amy could just barely see her get up and move, as though standing beside the glass, and, a moment later, there was a golden hue around the edge of the glass, "Is that better?"

"Stabilized," the Doctor agreed, grinning at Angel widely, "Oh you are brilliant!" before he reached out to take her face, peppering kisses on them, which had to make her smile when she heard Angel actually give a small laugh at it.

But still..."Oi!" Amy shouted, pulling his attention back.

"Ah," the Doctor stopped, looking at her once more, "Amy!"

"Why has this got hands?" Rory was asking as a Handbot cornered him.

Amy watched as the Doctor walked over to look at it, "Organic skin, ultimate universal interface, grown and grafted, not born. It's actually _seeing_ with its _fingers_ , scanning the room. But why not just give it eyes?"

"Will you be visiting long?" the robot asked.

"As long as it takes," Angel said, her voice sounding closer to the glass than the Doctor's, she clearly hadn't stepped away from it even though Amy could no longer see her in frame.

The Doctor walked back over to the glass and looked through at her, "Amy, what exactly did you do?"

"I just, I came in, and I pressed the door button," she shrugged.

"Ah...Amy, there are two buttons," Rory glanced as the green logo on the wall behind him, "Green anchor, red waterfall. Which one did you push?"

"I pushed the red waterfall."

~8~

Rory sighed and walked off to the doors, stepping out, "Great," he huffed. He waited till the doors slid closed behind him before pushing the red waterfall button. The doors opened again...but the room was empty. He frowned, leaning in slightly, "Amy?" before backing away and groaned as the doors shut again, he pushed the green anchor and returned to the Doctor and Angel, "I pressed Red Waterfall, and she wasn't there!"

"So you can't follow her directly," the Doctor muttered, "You know, it's never simple! Hear that, Handbot?" he turned to it, "She just pressed the wrong button. We're aliens, we didn't know."

"Statement...rejected," the Handbot determined as a red light on its chest lit up, "Apalapucia is under planet-wide quarantine. This is a kindness facility for those infected with Chen7."

The Doctor quickly leapt at Angel, covered her mouth and nose with his arm, trying to filter the air using his jacket, Angel nearly let go of the magnifying glass at that announcement, but held on, reaching out her free hand to tug his jacket up to cover his mouth and nose as well.

"What?!" the Doctor's eyes widened in alarm, glancing at Angel in obvious fear.

"Chen7, hmm?" Rory asked as he walked over, his mouth and nose also covered by his jacket given their reactions.

"The one day plague," his voice came out muffled.

"What, you get it for a day?"

"No, you get it...and you _die_ in a day."

Amy gasped and covered her mouth as well with her hands.

"There are 40,000 residents in the Twostreams Facility," the Handbot continued, "Please remain in the sterile areas. Visiting hours are now," it pushed its hands together and transported away.

The Doctor looked at Angel who slowly nodded, the two of them lowering their coverings as the Doctor sighed in relief, turning to pull Angel into his arms, hugging her tightly...that...had been FAR too close for comfort. He'd been trying for a nice, calm, not dangerous trip, to restore sanity...and now...well bullocks to that. He let out a breath, squeezing her a bit more, burying his face into the junction of her neck and shoulder and just...inhaling, this new him seemed to like sniffing her he'd noticed, she just...her scent was familiar, unchanging despite her regenerations, and it calmed him in ways he hadn't thought possible. He just had to remind himself they were safe, in the Green Anchor...and he realized...Angel had selected that button, she had been the one to pick it, he couldn't help but think it was her intuition kicking in.

"Sterile area," he murmured, pulling away to touch her cheek with a finger, sending her a grateful smile, "We're safe," he kissed her forehead, resting his head to hers before he turned and pulled a chair over to the other end of the table, letting her sit down.

Amy smacked it, "What about me?!"

"Chen7 only affects two-hearted races," the Doctor swallowed, moving behind Angel to look at Amy through the glass, resting his hands on Angel's shoulders, squeezing them in comfort and reassurance...now he was VERY glad that Ayla _wasn't_ there, "Like Apalapucians."

"And Time Lords," Rory realized, looking between the Doctor and Angel, now understanding their reactions, the genuine fear in their eyes. Angel had told him there wasn't much a Time Lord contracted for illnesses, but this one...this was one of the few and the most deadly apparently.

Angel nodded, reaching up her free hand to place it on one of the Doctor's, "Like us."

The Doctor shook his head sadly, "In that facility, we're dead in a day. Time moves faster on Amy's side of the glass. Amy, you said you'd been here a week. What did you eat?"

"Nothing," Amy realized, "I wasn't hungry."

Angel nodded slowly, "So that means Red Waterfall time must be compressed."

The Doctor's eyes widened a bit, realizing that as well, "Brilliant," he murmured, dropping a kiss to the top of Angel's head before pointing at Amy through the glass, "That's the point. The Time Glass syncs up the time streams for visits. You could be here for a day, watch them live out their entire lives."

"And watch them grow old in front of your eyes?" Rory frowned, "That's horrible."

"No, Rory, it's _kind_. You've got a choice. Sit by their bedside for 24 hours and watch them die, or sit in here for 24 hours and watch them _live_. Which would you choose?" he slowly turned one of his hands over to take Angel's as it rested on his, squeezing it and she let him, knowing where his mind had gone, to the times she herself had been dying…twice, well...three times she supposed, no...actually...she frowned, quite a few times.

Well how about that, she'd died nearly as many times as Rory had. She'd died in the Pit, nearly died on the _Valiant_ , HAD died after the _Valiant_ , in Donna's parallel world, nearly died when the TARDIS had exploded and the Dalek had shot her, in Berlin, and...well...she shook her head, not wanting to think about that. She could feel the Doctor's other hand squeeze her shoulder a bit more and knew he was catching her thoughts, he HATED thinking about all the times she'd nearly died and really died.

The Doctor took a breath and picked up the glass.

~8~

In the red waterfall room, the glass disappeared.

"Doctor?!" Amy felt around for the space where the glass had been, "Angel, don't leave me!" she buried her head in her hands, trying not to cry as she was left alone.

~8~

The Doctor moved around the room with the glass, standing at the side of the table, looking at Amy, sitting there hunched, "We won't leave you Amy," Angel reassured her, having gotten up and followed the Doctor, "We're here."

"We're right here," the Doctor agreed.

"Where are you?" Amy looked up, seemingly still able to hear them despite not being able to see them, "Am I looking at you?"

"Turn left, just a fraction," the Doctor told her and she moves slightly towards them, "Bit more, stop. That's it."

"Eye to eye?"

"Eye to eyes to eye."

"Hello," Rory called, moving to the Doctor's other side.

"Amy, I'm taking the Time Glass back to the TARDIS," the Doctor told her, "Like sat-nav, I'll use it to get a lock, then smash through, using the TARDIS to get you out. Until then, you're on your own," he quickly flashed the sonic on the glass.

"What are you doing?" Rory asked him quietly.

"Putting a track on Amy," Angel reassured him, putting a hand on his arm in comfort.

"Small act of vandalism…" the Doctor shrugged.

"Don't say it," Angel warned him suddenly.

"No one'll mind," he continued…and then the alarm sounded, "Ah, that will be the small act of vandalism alarm."

"I warned you," Angel shook her head.

"Amy, I need you to go into the facility just for a bit. Find somewhere safe and leave us a sign. Remember, you're immune to Chen7, but don't let them give you anything. They don't know you're alien. Their kindness will kill you. Now go!"

They watched as Amy pressed the 'Check In' button and the door slid open. She turned around and faced them, "Rory, I love you. Now, save me. Go on."

The door slid shut.

~8~

Amy winced as she was suddenly sprayed with decontaminants.

~8~

The Doctor carried the Time Glass into the console room and inserted it into the controls as Angel moved to attach some wires to it, both of them working in tandem to get the glass set up and working, knowing each minute here could be years for Amy, "This is locked onto Amy permanently," the Doctor explained to Rory, "Play the signal into the console, the TARDIS'll follow it."

Angel winced as the wire she'd just attached set off some smoke, "Sorry girl, I know it's uncomfortable," she stroked the console, "Just a few minutes I promise."

The TARDIS hummed as the Doctor looked through a tool chest of odds and ends, "Now then, I know you're in here. Um...er...ha ha!" he pulled out a pair of black rimmed glasses, putting them on, "How do I look?" he faced Rory as Angel moved to another keypad and began to set up the programs.

"Ridiculous," Rory told him.

"Glasses are cool. See?" he put them on Rory, "Oh, yes. Hello, handsome man."

"Oh, hello," Rory started to smile.

"Hello, Rory-cam!"

"Huh?"

"Over here Rory," Angel called and he looked over to see that the glasses were actually a small camera showing what he was seeing on the monitor.

"Oh, you can see what I see," he frowned a moment.

"Don't worry Rory," Angel moved over to his side, putting a hand on his arm and squeezing it, "My sister still thinks you're the Pretty One."

Rory gave her a little smile as the TARDIS hummed loudly, as though agreeing.

"We're breaking into Twostreams," the Doctor got back to point, "Now, _we_ can't go in, the Chen7'll kill us, no regeneration, so you..." he pointed at Angel warningly, "Stay close," he added, not wanting to risk her going off and getting hurt, as much as he truly hated to say it...if he _had_ to pick between keeping Angel safe and saving Amy...

Angel.

Every time.

"You," he spun to Rory, "Will be our eyes and ears."

Rory nodded, "Rory-cam. Rescue Amy. Got it."

"That's the spirit!"

"Don't worry Rory," Angel reassured him, "You _can_ do this," she smiled, pulling him closer to hug him tightly, speaking softly so he could hear her, "After everything we've been through, everything you've faced, everything you've succeeded in doing...this ought to be a walk in the park eh?"

Rory nodded, closing his eyes, smiling at her confidence in him as he gave her an extra tight squeeze, knowing that, even as she was comforting him, HE could comfort her back...until he heard something.

He blinked and looked up to see the Doctor standing there, his arms crossed, a narrowed-eyed look on his face, "Doctor..." he began, "Did you just...growl?"

"You're _touching_ MY _Mate_ Rory," the Doctor said, as though it explained everything, and sounding very much like he was trying very hard not to grab Angel and pull her away from him.

"Uh, no," Rory shook his head, Angel stepping away from him to stand beside him instead, "I'm hugging my _sister_."

"Yes...well...she was MY Mate first!"

Angel had to smile at that, every time he called her his Mate...it just...it made her feel warm inside after having not heard it for so long. She'd actually...forgotten how possessive he could get about her with other men around. She'd seen a hint of it, at Demons Run, when he'd rescued her, seen how angry he got about things involving her...and she didn't want him to start in on Rory, not right now. She got the feeling that...this Doctor might be even worse than he had been about keeping her safe and keeping her his, given all that had happened to try and tear them apart.

She...had an idea of what she could do.

"And you," she began, moving back to the Doctor, noticing how he relaxed the closer she came, "Are MY Mate," she whispered, reaching out and...hugging him tightly, really...this was probably the first time since he'd regenerated that she'd initiated a moment like this, even a simple hug. And she knew, him hearing HER sound a bit possessive would reassure him more than anything.

The Doctor though, it was like a switch flipped, Rory could see it in the Time Lord's expression as he beamed, hugging Angel tightly...and then sticking his tongue out over her shoulder at him.

He rolled his eyes.

"I saw that," Angel remarked, pulling away a bit.

"Psychic," the Doctor murmured, lifting his hand a moment, waiting a single second before brushing a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Thief," she countered, "But I meant that," she nodded at the monitor she'd been able to see over his shoulder in the hug, his face, the cameras had done him in.

"Right," he nodded, "Now," he looked at Rory, "Smashing through a timewall could get a bit hairy."

"Is it safe?" Rory asked.

"Don't know. Never tried. Best hold onto something," and then he threw a lever and everything went absolutely mad...

~8~

Amy walked through a monochromatic welcome area, looking rather large though empty…no one was there, when suddenly a beam of light shot down and landed on her, "Welcome to the Twostreams Facility," a computerized voice stated before the light disappeared.

Amy blinked, blinded for a moment, "Erm, who are you and why can't I see you?"

The light reappeared, "I am the Interface, between yourself and the systems of the Twostreams Facility. I will be your guide, your teacher, your friend."

The light shut off and a hologram of a woman started to play on the wall beside her, "Welcome to Twostreams. What is your name, please?"

"Amy. Amy Pond."

"Welcome, Amy Pond. I see you're travelling alone. As a resident you will now have access to all of the entertainment zones inside. For a taste of adventure, why not try the mountain zone," a picture appeared beside the hologram on the wall of the area, a line of mountains, "And explore Apalapucia's famous Glasmir Mountains. Or try our roller-coaster zone, authentically modeled on the famous Warpspeed Death Ride at Disneyland, Clom. All that you could wish for and more is through the Departure Gate," she motioned towards a door, "Provided for you with kindness."

Amy eyed the monitor a moment before walking through the door indicated and up a few steps to another room...where one of the Handbots was patrolling, "Unexpected visitor," the Handbot stated, "Welcome. Please seek assistance."

Amy ran up to it, "Hello? Hey! Oi, wait!"

The Handbot turned and scanned her with a makeshift waving motion, "You are carrying unregistered bacteria. Please let me help you," it's chest panel opened and it pulled out a syringe.

"No, I'm not from this world. Your medicine'll kill me!"

"Statement...rejected," the red light blinked again, "Do not be alarmed. This is a kindness," it held out the syringe.

Amy gaped and ran past it to hide behind a transformer of some sort, "No, no, please, I hate needles."

"Secondary delivery system engaged," the Handbot's head opened to show a large gun surrounded by needles. It turned towards Amy and fired, a needle landing right by where she was hiding, sizzling as it embedded itself into the edge of the box, "Unauthorized infection on check-in, version 223," two more Handbots appeared beside the first. Amy jumped up and ran the other way, only for two more Handbots to appear. She turned and jumped over the counter and ducked inside it, running down a stairwell to an open maintenance area, "Unauthorized resident detected."

"Come on," Amy muttered as she ducked around a corner, into a room.

A Handbot stuck its hand into the room, scanning for her, "This is a kindness. Do not be alarmed. This is a kindness."

Amy ran across the room and hid behind a large piece of equipment. She heard the Handbot stop and peered under the equipment. She shrieked when its hand turned in her direction before running away, "Unauthorized resident detected," a computer sounded, "Unauthorized resident detected."

Three Handbots materialized in front of Amy, blocking her way, "No," she breathed, "No, no..."

"This is a kindness," they stated, "Do not be alarmed. This is a kindness. This is a kindness. Do not be alarmed."

Amy turned and ran for a vent in the center of the room, past a small fence around it, and hoping into it as an escape route, trying to lift the grate, "Come on, please…" but there was nowhere to go, no ladder, no pit to fall through…

The Handbots stopped and scanned the room, "No residents detected. No residents detected," they turned and walked away.

Amy let out a breath of relief, "They didn't see me, they didn't see me."

~8~

The Doctor laughed as he held onto the console as the TARDIS knocked them around, crossing the time streams, Angel, on the other side of the console, pulled a lever and she landed with a jolt. Rory, having been waiting by the doors, looked back at them. Angel smiled at him and nodded encouragingly. He took a breath and stepped out...

"It'll be alright," the Doctor whispered, slowly moving an arm around Angel's waist in comfort as he made his way over to her.

Angel could only stare at the closed doors, "She'll be ok, won't she?" she asked, unknowingly mimicking Rory's earlier question about herself. She had tried to sense it...but all the compressed time streams made it hard to feel for any one future, there were just...too many, it made her head feel fuzzy to try.

"Rory's gone after her," the Doctor shrugged, "So she'll be just fine," he started to smile, "You were right, you know, about Rory. I can't always see it, for some reason but you can, you always can. He really is remarkable, just like Mickey."

Angel had to smile at that, to hear him admitting that 'her boys' were as wonderful as his companions had always been. But still...she couldn't take her eyes off the doors, still worried.

The Doctor gave her a single, gentle squeeze, hoping he hadn't just lied to her about Amy's fate.

~8~

Rory blinked a few times, getting used to the light in the stark white room he'd stepped into. He put a hand on the Time Glass on his belt and gripped the sonic Angel had insisted the Doctor give him in his hand tightly, looking around at a sort of gallery room.

"Red Waterfall!" he cried, seeing the logo on the wall, "We made it."

~8~

Angel and the Doctor stood by the console monitor, watching what he was seeing on it, "Good old us!" the Doctor cheered.

"How do we know that we're in the same Red Waterfall as Amy?" Rory wondered.

"Focus on the positive. We locked onto Amy's time stream."

Angel frowned a bit at that, if the second time stream was compressed…it would be extremely hard to lock onto the _exact_ moment she disappeared…and with all the compression it would be very difficult to determine where in Amy's timeline they actually were, had it been only a few moments or much longer?

"Eyes front, soldier!" the Doctor called, pulling her attention away to see Rory's eyes had drifted to the Venus di Milo's breasts.

"Right, yes, sorry," Rory looked away.

"Apalapucians are the great cultural scavengers, Rory, this gallery's a scrapbook of their favorite places."

They watched as Rory walked through the gallery, glancing at the various pieces, "Bit of Earth, bit of alien, bit of...whatever the hell that is."

~8~

Amy ran into a random room and watched as the door slid closed before turning to see the room was as white as the rest of the facility. There was a small pedestal with buttons on it in the middle of the room with six doorways around her, leading to nowhere, "Interface?" she called.

A light beamed down on her again, "I am here, Amy Pond."

"Shh, shh," Amy hissed, "Turn that light off!" it shut off, "So I'm...what is this? How does it work?"

"This is the Gate. From here you may depart to any of Twostreams' entertainment zones," Amy pressed a button, "Cinema," and another, "Aquarium," and a third, "Garden."

"Garden?" she paused, thinking, before shrugging, "Why not?" she pressed the button again.

"Garden," a computerized voice said. Lights flashed through the doorway before her, almost like the high-speed lifts she'd been on in the Starship UK, before stilling. Amy rushed through it...and into a large garden. It was very formal with high, strangely-trimmed hedges, like something she would imagine from 'Alice in Wonderland' or something to that effect.

"It's...beautiful," she breathed, "I mean, freaky hedges."

"The perfect replica of a Shill Governor's Mansion on Shallanna," Interface told her.

"You really could spend a lifetime in here. Not that I'm going to," she walked around and found a covered terrace with columns and statues scattered around, "Interface?"

"Amy Pond?"

"I need somewhere safe to hide and wait for my friends. Where in Twostreams is safe?"

"Twostreams is a safe, nurturing environment."

"You _know_ what I mean. Where can I go so the Handbots can't find me?" no reply, "Before, I was stood by a sort of vent, and there was light and smoke and the Handbots couldn't see me. Why not?" still no answer, "Ok," she sighed, getting frustrated, "I'll put it another way. What were those vent thingies?"

"The vents channel the exhaust fumes from the temporal engines that hold the multiple time streams in place."

"And these temporal engines mess up the Handbots' sensors. So where's the temporal engines?"

A small hologram appeared of the temporal engines, "Temporal engines held within."

"Ok…" she nodded, about to ask how to get there...when suddenly two Handbots appeared on either side of her, their hands out and ready.

"Do not be alarmed," the robots stated, "This is a kindness."

As they reached out their hands, she jumped back and forced their hands against each other, which actually ended up shorting them out. They collapsed forward, "Ha! Don't like _that_ , do you?!" she took a moment to grin at them before turning and pushing a door open to go back inside, knowing it was likely a matter of time before the other Handbots came to see what had happened.

She wandered around the facility till she reached a set of heavy-duty doors. She pushed them open and walked into to see massive industrial engines before her, "Temporal engines. Somewhere to hide," she nodded and turned to walk back to the doors, writing 'Doctor, Angel, I'm waiting,' with an arrow pointed towards the handle with her lipstick before heading back in to wait.

~8~

Rory frowned as he walked through the gallery, "Where...is everyone?"

"In their own individual compressed time streams," Angel's voice came over the comm. of the Time Glass.

"Right, Rory, switch the Time Glass on and sonic it," the Doctor told him, "I'll send a command to the screwdriver. Amy's here somewhere. If we can just get a lock on her…I wonder what happens if we mix the filters?"

Rory flashed the sonic on the Time Glass and held it up, looking through it to watch as scores of people milled around, all blurry and out of focus.

"And there they are."

"That's...40,000 time streams, all overlapping," Angel agreed, sounding a bit worried, "But if Red Waterfall isn't one time stream but thousands...this might get a bit tricky Rory..."

"Are they happy?" Rory asked, not really seeing how much more tricky it could get.

"Oh, Rory," the Doctor sighed, "Trust you to think of that. I think they're happy to be alive. Better than the alternative."

"Not always," Angel said quietly, so quietly both he and the Doctor nearly missed it.

"What?" the Doctor asked.

"Nothing," she said quickly.

"Angel…"

Rory frowned and lowered the Time Glass, about to ask Angel what she meant as well...only to see someone in armor pieced together from bits of Handbot casings charging at him with a katana, "I come in peace!" he shouted, "Peace, peace, peace, peace!"

He fell back onto the floor, the sword at his throat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got some more fluff returning, little hints of it that'll slowly be building up over time ;) Lol, growling possessive Doctor :) I loved the line where he's angry that it's HIS Mate and Rory's just so innocently confused because he doesn't see her like that at all, but just as his sister, awww :)
> 
> I hope that the reason for their trip here was realistic, I know that any parent who's lost a child must be going out of their minds trying to find them and would never ever give up, but I also felt that, for the Time Lords to keep going and keep visiting all these places in hope and have it crushed time after time...there had to be a moment where they just stopped, for a split second, and went somewhere where it wouldn't happen before they could recover enough to go on :(
> 
> Poor them :(
> 
> But yay Rory! I really loved him in this episode, we really got to see SO much more about him and his personality, I can't wait to see how he reacts when everything hits him }:)
> 
> And just to end, to answer a few questions early ;) Ayla was the little girl in TIA/DOTM in the suit, but River was the one in the suit at the lake. River is human. Ayla was also the little girl that was regenerating. She will survive her regeneration, it's not going to kill her. The question is...who will find her after she regenerates? The Silence in the show were able to find River, so it's a matter of will the Doctor and Angel find her first, or will the Silence? IF the Silence find her first...her survival will depend on the force of the conditioning/training she would be subjected to, in that case, she may not survive it. But that's if the Silence find her first. So, at the moment, Ayla is alive, Ayla is regenerating (as far as we know), whether or not she dies after that will depend on who finds her. Hope that cleared up some confusion :)


	34. The Girl Who Waited: Two Amys

"Rory!" Angel shouted, alarmed, her and the Doctor staring at the monitor where Rory was on the ground, staring up at a sword!

The warrior's long red hair hung from behind their mask, their green eyes visible through a crack in the visor, "I waited," she said, its voice computerized slightly but still discernible as a woman's.

"Sorry, what?" Rory shook his head.

"I _waited_ for you," she spat, pulling the sword away, "I _waited_!"

"Oh no..." Angel breathed, realizing who that person was, the only person it could be.

The Doctor swallowed hard, watching through Rory's eyes as the visor lifted...to reveal an older version of Amy.

"Amy," Rory gasped, "Doctor, what's going on? Angel what happened?!"

The Doctor and Angel could only stare at the feed in shock and horror, "Er..." the Doctor said.

"Amy," Rory slowly stood, his movements careful, as though hesitant to make any sudden moves around the woman with the sword.

"I think the time stream lock might be a bit wobbly…" the Doctor tried to explain, reaching out to take Angel's hand, knowing this had to be hard for her to see as well.

Amy pulled her sword back as though to strike and Rory held up his hands, pleading, "No, please. Please!"

"Duck," Amy told him at the same time as Angel shouted it over the comm..

~8~

Rory dropped to the ground once more and they saw Amy hadn't been about to attack him, but the Handbot that had appeared behind him, striking her sword through its head brutally. It fell backwards to the floor, stunning all three of them at her rather violent move, "Handbots carry a black box in case they go offline," Amy told them, her voice deeper, her accent more pronounced from years with just her own voice. She crouched down by the robot and got to work opening its chest piece, flashing some sort of device along it to open it, "I've changed the cause of termination from hostile to accidental. Easy to reprogram using my sonic probe," she pulled out small black box of her own, using it on the robot, replacing the box that came from within it.

"Amy…" Rory breathed.

Amy stiffened and looked over her shoulder at him, "Rory," she stated more than greeted.

"Why?"

"I've survived this long by making the Handbots think I don't exist," she turned back to the robot, peering closely at its hands, " _Don't_ touch the hands. Anesthetic transfer, if they touch you, you go to sleep."

"But you're _still_ here?"

She got up and looked at him, as though the reason for that should be obvious, "You didn't save me," and turned to stride away.

"This _is_ the saving!" he ran after her, " _This_ is the us saving you! The Doctor just got the timing a bit out!"

~8~

The Doctor winced and looked at Angel apologetically, _he_ had been the one in charge of locking the time, she had been preparing the box for the journey, before turning back to the monitor mouthing, 'sorry.'

Amy stopped suddenly, but couldn't seem to look Rory in the eye, which worried them all, the Amy they knew would have pounced on him by now, "I've been on my own here a long, _long_ time. I've had _decades_ to think nice thoughts about him, about Angel. Got a bit harder to stay charitable once I entered decade four."

"40 years?" Rory gaped, "Alone?"

" _36_ years thanks!" she pushed her hair back, sending him a small glare.

"No. Right," Rory nodded, "I mean..." they watched as the view on the monitor roved over Amy, "You look great. Really. Really."

"Eyes front, soldier."

"Still can't win then?" he tried to joke.

But Amy was having none of that, her glare growing harder, "In fact, I think I can now definitely say I hate him. I _hate_ the Doctor. I hate him more than I've _ever_ hated anyone in my life."

~8~

She looked dead at the glasses, "You can hear every word of this through those ridiculous glasses, can't you, Raggedy Man?"

It was easier this way. It was easier to blame the Doctor…because she could _believe_ that. She had spoken to each and every person that came to help at Demons Run, especially the past companions, she had heard tales how frequently he went through them, how some left, how some died, how...how he left some behind. Especially how he never used to look back on them, ever. She could believe that, it was realistic given the man he was that he could abandon someone, he'd left Jack on a space station in the future! It was so...HIM...to run away and never look back at who he was leaving behind.

It wasn't a far leap to believe he could have abandoned her too.

And really...even if he HAD been trying to get to her all that time, she had expected this in a way. She could also believe it was _his_ fault getting it wrong, in getting the timing off. Even though she knew he was God awful at getting it right, something THIS serious and deadly he ought to have tried _harder_. Angel and he had joked about his inability to pilot the TARDIS enough times for her to know it would take him longer to get to her than promised. He had once promised 5 minutes and it had taken him 12 years for her to see him again. She hadn't thought it would take him three times as long to rescue her now.

It was so much easier to believe it was all HIS fault, that HE had been the one to insist on whatever ridiculous plan they had created in the TARDIS, to not let Angel pilot the box properly.

~8~

"Ah," the Doctor reached out and pressed the comm., opening it up, "Yes. Putting the speaker phone on."

"You told me to wait," Amy spat, "And I _did_. A _lifetime_."

"Amy... " Angel began, tensing as they saw something on the monitor that Rory was missing, something behind Amy!

" _Neither_ of you have got nothing to say to me," she cut in.

"Behind you!" the Doctor shouted.

Amy spun around to see two Handbots closing in on them. She tossed her staff to Rory and ducked, pressing their hands together, the two robots drooping forward, deactivated, "Feedback. Knocks them out. Learned that trick on my first day," and with that, she turned and left the room.

"Rory," Angel called as he stood there, stunned, "Go after her!"

~8~

Rory shook his head, snapped out of his thoughts by Angel's call, and rushed after his wife. Amy was striding along the outer corridor as he tried to fix it, "Ok so we just take the TARDIS back to the right time stream, yeah? We can stop any of this happening."

"I'm so sorry Rory, but we've already set down in a time stream," Angel said softly, he could hear the regret in her voice, "We've become a part of events, we can't go back now."

"This is so wrong."

"I got _old_ , Rory, what did you _think_ was going to happen?" Amy grumbled.

"Hey!" he grabbed her arm, making her turn, "I don't care that you got _old_! I care that we didn't grow old _together_. Amy, come on, _please_."

Amy looked at him a moment before shaking her head and pulling her arm away, "Don't touch me. Don't do that."

It would be too hard to keep hating him too if he did that. She'd been alone for _so long_ , hadn't had any contact or interaction really, and...to have him back, to have him looking at her with that concern she'd often dreamed of in his eyes, with that soft look...it was tempting. It was tempting to forgive him, her Rory, her sweet husband who she knew would never have given up on her but...had started to think he _had_. Him touching her meant he still wanted her, he had come for her but just been...too late.

And that was NOT the conclusion that her mind had come to all these years. Rory, he always came for her, he was always coming, and she'd waited, SO long...and he hadn't come. She'd given up hope of that, that he'd still come for her. She didn't know why, but her mind had come to varying conclusions and reasons why he'd give up on her. All the things she'd done to him in the past, how she'd forgotten him, how she'd flirted with other men in front of him, how she hadn't been faithful to him...there had been a quote she remembered from her childhood, 'To err was human, to forgive divine.' And she knew Rory was nowhere near as 'divine' as Angel was, she didn't know if he'd forgiven her for what she'd done, all of it being so similar to what the Doctor had done to Angel.

But that was the thing...the Doctor honestly hadn't known what he was doing, because of the Silence. If he had remembered Angel he _never ever_ would have flirted with River or kissed her or anything. Even not remembering Angel he'd still retained a sense that it was wrong for him to do that. SHE hadn't been so lucky. Yes, both of their amnesias were caused by things beyond their control, but...SHE had WANTED the Doctor, she had _known_ what she was doing and how it would affect Rory to find out, and she'd done it anyway. She had been _fully aware_ of what she was doing and the consequences.

She wouldn't have blamed him if, in the time she'd been there, he'd thought about all that and realized she wasn't worth it.

She expected it even, after decade two.

She swallowed hard, he was contradicting _all_ of that by being there now. And she couldn't deal with that, so she turned to walk on.

"It's like you're not even her," she heard Rory say softly.

She winced, but kept going, willing herself NOT to let his words get to her, "36 years, 3 months, 4 days of solitary confinement," she stopped in front of the 'Arrivals Door' and looked back at him, "This facility was built to give people the chance to _live_. I walked in here and I _died_. Do you have anything to say?" she glanced at his glasses, "Anything, _Doctor_?"

"Where did you get a sonic screwdriver?" the Doctor asked, the excitement and pride in his voice was obvious.

"I made it. And it's a sonic _probe_."

"You made a sonic screwdriver?" Rory looked at her, shocked, this coming from the woman who could barely get the Zig-Zag Plotter to work…

" _Probe_ ," she corrected.

"Amy?" Angel called softly, "I... _do_ have something to say."

"What?" Amy nearly snapped, but...tried not to.

"5,972,918,489," she murmured.

"What's that?"

"How many times the TARDIS exploded," Angel explained, all of them falling silent, "Each explosion lasted 10 seconds, so that's about 1,894 years, sound familiar? Amy...I wasn't the _only one_ alone for nearly 2,000 years."

Rory blinked, actually feeling like he'd been punched in the gut to hear that. He'd...he felt terrible now. He knew that Angel had been in the exploding TARDIS, that she knew it was exploding, her counting was testament to that. But...it seemed like none of them had equated that to the fact that she was _aware_ 2,000 years had passed while she'd been in there. And while he'd been able to move, to interact with people in the course of his guarding the Pandorica, Angel had been truly alone, caught in an explosion, a far more lonely existence than his.

He looked at Amy to see her jaw tensing, as though she hadn't realized that either.

"You had a facility, I had a room, and I'm not saying this to make any of you feel guilty, I just...time changes all of us Amy. Rory...he's not the same Rory he was from before the Pandorica and I think you know that. It's not even about the time really, it's about the person and what they choose to do with it, how they choose to let it affect them."

Amy closed her eyes, hearing the wisdom in Angel's words, Rory had grown stronger, fueled by his determination to protect her and his love for her. Angel had remained sane and unbitter because of her knowledge that she was helping to save all of creation by getting the Doctor more time, but here she was...alone for only 36 years where they had been alone nearly 50 times longer...and had lost her faith, had let it warp her and twist her into this...into this cold and distant woman who couldn't even look the man she still loved in the eye and _tell_ him she loved him.

She shook her head, and turned to go through a set of doors, this was too much for her right now.

Rory followed, watching as she entered the Temporal Engine room, striding through it to a curtain made of random bits of cloth. He pushed it aside to follow her past...only to see a Handbot standing in the corner, "Oh!"

The Handbot turned around and...there was a smiley face drawn on it with a drawn tuft of hair to match, "Don't worry about him," Amy called, moving to the back of the room, "Sit down, Rory."

Rory and the Handbot both sat down and Rory realized the Handbot had followed the order as well and why, "You named him after me?"

"Needed a bit of company."

"So, he's like your..."

"Pet," Amy nodded to herself as she pulled out her red lipstick, twisting it open as she looked at it, Rory examining the robot.

"Is it safe?"

"Yep. I disarmed it."

"How?"

"Um, Rory...look at its arms," Angel called softly.

He did so and saw that the hands had been cut off, "Oh, you...dis _armed_ it."

Amy lifted the lipstick to her mouth…she'd planned this when she'd first gotten trapped there. Promised herself as soon as she saw Rory again she was going to kiss him till there was a stupid grin on his stupid face, just to see him blush…

She shook her head, putting it down, no, not anymore, she was _angry_ with him, she had to remember that, "Oh, don't get sentimental," she muttered to herself, before calling to Rory, "It's just a robot. You'd have done the same."

"I don't know that I would have," the Doctor's voice came over the comm..

"And there he is, the voice of God," Amy spat, turning to walk across the room toward Rory, looking at the glasses, "Survive. 'Cos no one's going to come for you. Number one lesson," she looked straight into the glasses, " _You_ taught me that."

"Is that really _all_ I taught you?"

"Don't you lecture me, blue-box man flying through time and space on whimsy. All I've got, all I've had for 36 years, is cold, hard reality. So, no, I don't have a sonic screwdriver because I'm not off on a romp. I call it what it is, a probe. And I call my life what it is...Hell," and with that, she turned away.

"Amy Pond, I am going to put this right," he promised, "You said you learned from an Interface. Can I speak with it?"

"Doesn't work in here," she checked her watch, "2:23, the garden'll be clear now," she looked at Rory, "Stay or go?"

"Sorry, me?" he glanced at the robot and back to her, "No, I'm coming with you!"

"Then try not to get killed. Or do. Whatever," Rory swallowed hard, seeing his wife so bitter but followed her outside. Amy led the way with purpose till they reached the garden terrace, "When I first came here, I had to trick the Interface into giving me the information, but I've reprogrammed it now. It'll tell me anything...except how to escape."

"You hacked it? That's _genius_!"

"Sorry to interrupt that beautiful moment," the Doctor cut in, "But…temporal engines have a regulator valve, which has to be kept from the main reactor or there's feedback. Interface, where's the regulator?"

A map of the facility, the regulator, appeared in a hologram before Amy and Rory, the Doctor and Angel looking on from the TARDIS monitor, "The regulator valve is held within," Interface replied.

"Ah! Oh, very, very 'ah!' Interface, I need to run through some technical specifications…"

"Rory, could you let Amy use the glasses a moment?" Angel asked.

"Here you go," Rory took off the glasses and moved to put them on Amy but she pulled her head away, flinching back from his touch as he'd noticed Angel doing to the Doctor before they'd dealt with the dollhouse. He nodded to himself and handed them to her instead, taking a leaf out of the Doctor's book and trying to be patient and considerate of that.

She looked at them oddly before putting them on, "They look ridiculous."

"That's what I told him. Still, anything beats a fez, eh?" they chuckled a little but Amy suddenly stopped, "What is it?"

"I think that's the first time I've laughed in 36 years," she admitted softly.

Rory looked at her, just thinking about all the time she had lost because of all of this, all the time they could have had together. It didn't matter to him, it wouldn't have mattered, if he'd been trapped there with Amy, for the rest of his life...if it meant that they were together. Nothing was every so bad if he could be with Amy, "I'll just, um, leave you three geniuses…"

"Two," Angel corrected him.

" _Three_ ," both Rory and the Doctor insisted as Rory shook his head, "I'll be back in a minute," Rory added, turning to walk off just a bit, Amy watching him go.

~8~

The Doctor and Angel glanced at each other before Angel spoke up, "Amy...there's still time."

"There's still time to fix everything," the Doctor agreed, moving closer to Angel, slowly moving to put his arms around her from behind, making sure she wasn't startled as he rested his chin on her shoulder.

' _Everything,_ ' he whispered in her mind, kissing her temple, there was still time to fix everything with them too.

But then Angel gasped, "But not right now! Amy, Rory!" she warned, and Amy took off running, trusting Angel's sensations even now, if she was worried about Rory, then Rory was in danger.

~8~

Rory wandered through the garden, coming across a doorway on a small patio...JUST a doorway, "How can you have a door without a wall?" he walked towards it, only to run into an invisible barrier, "Oh!" he reached out hesitantly, feeling the wall, "Holographic wallpaper?" he turned around and jumped back when he came face-to-face...well, face-to-hand...with a Handbot right behind him, "Oh, sorry."

The Handbot reached out and touched Rory's face before he could react, making him fall to the ground, "Do not be alarmed. This is a kindness," its head opened and prepared to fire its medicine dart at him...when its head was suddenly cut off.

Amy was standing behind it with a sword.

"Oh…" Rory groaned.

"Rory?" she knelt beside him, checking him.

"Glasses," he pointed at her face, blinking as he came around.

She stood up and turned away, angry, "You stupid..."

"Oh! You saved me."

"Don't get used to it."

He frowned, getting up, worried when he saw something in her face, "Have you been crying? A little bit?"

"Shut up, Rory."

"You have, haven't you?"

"Woman with a sword," she turned and shoved him back, " _Don't_ push it."

Rory raised his hands in surrender as the Doctor laughed just a bit over the comm., Angel asking, "Are you alright Rory?"

He nodded, "Fine."

"Ok, so here's the plan," the Doctor continued, "Time is always a bit wibbly-wobbly, but in Twostreams it's extra wubbly," Amy handed the glasses back to Rory, "I've worked out how to hijack the temporal engines and how to fold two points of Amy's timeline together…we're bringing her out of the then and into the now! Amy, I just need to borrow your brain a minute, it won't hurt, probably...almost probably...and then, Amy Pond, we're going to save you."

Amy looked at the glasses a moment, "No!" she shouted, taking out her probe, "Time's up, Handbots coming," and turned to leave.

"Amy, you've _got_ to help us help you," the Doctor tried to reason as Rory ran after her, "We need you to think back 36 years ago. Amy? Amy!?"

Rory lifted the time glass to the door that Amy had disappeared through, the doors that led back to the temporal engines, only to see the writing Amy had left for them on the door. Through the Time Glass he could see exactly what she'd written as though she'd just written it instead of the smudges that were left there after so many years, "You told her to leave us a sign. And she did. And she waited. Oh, Amy…" he sighed and entered the room, walking after her, "Why won't you help yourself?"

"He wants to rescue Past Me from 36 years back, which means I'll cease to exist," Amy explained, "Everything I've seen and done dissolves, time is rewritten."

He stopped, shocked that she didn't seem to want that to happen, "That's...that's _good_ , isn't it?"

"I will _die_ ," she rounded on him, "Another Amy will take my place, an Amy who never got trapped at Twostreams, who grew old with you, and she, in 36 years, won't be _me_."

"But you'll die in here."

"Not if you take me with you," she looked at the glasses, "You came to rescue me, so rescue me."

"Leave her and take you?"

"It's a possibility Rory, to take this Amy instead," Angel told him, "But, to do that...it means that we can't get Past Amy back, she would have to wait here 36 years to become the woman she is so we can rescue her now."

"So I have to choose which wife do I want?" Rory asked breathless.

"She _is_ me," Amy reminded him, "We're _both_ me."

"You being here is wrong. For a single day, an hour, let alone a lifetime. I swore to _protect_ you...I _promised_."

~8~

The Doctor closed his eyes at that, oh the empathy he felt with Rory right now was astounding. He had done the same, promised to protect the woman he loved with everything he had. And he broke it. And he just KEPT breaking it. Worse yet he _hurt_ her too. Rory had to deal with a wife who was alone for 36 years? He had to deal with the guilt of knowing he'd let his MATE walk into a TARDIS he _knew_ was going to explode for nearly _2_ _millennia_! On top of her getting shot by a Dalek and all the other injuries she'd sustained because of him.

"Amy...please let us help," he half-begged the ginger girl.

"Why should I?" Amy glared at the glasses.

He felt his jaw tense, unable to help but feel like Amy was acting more like a teenager throwing a tantrum than a nearly 60 year old woman. It had been different at first, but now...seeing her fighting them on this, it was testing his patience, "Because Rory won't leave without the Amy we came for, Angel won't leave without Rory, and I won't force my Mate to abandon her companion. I won't hurt her _ever_ again!" he snapped, "If you hadn't noticed, if it quite escaped your memory, but our _daughter_ is wandering the Universe somewhere, alone and probably _very_ scared, on the run from aliens who want to turn her into a bigger _psychopath_ than your daughter already is, and I'd very much like to find her again! We don't have time for this!"

Yes, they'd come there first to try and just be somewhere that they knew Ayla wasn't, to not feel that crushing disappointment...but finding out about the Chen7...it had only served to make them both terrified. In their minds Ayla had escaped, she was ok, but lost and scared...now they couldn't help but fear, were forced to realize...what if she was _ill_? What if she had ended up somewhere with Chen7 or another terrible disease? What if she was sick and dying and they weren't there to help her?!

It had been one thing to break the timewall, to let Rory out when they thought it was a simple find Amy and get out thing that wouldn't last long at all, but this was infinitely more complicated and time consuming.

It was time they truly didn't have now that they were thinking of Ayla sick, imagining her dying.

Right now they just wanted to run away from the planet and resume their search.

Amy seemed affected by that for only a moment, "You didn't help me," she countered, though Angel could hear a note in her voice that she was trying _desperately_ to hold onto her anger and keep saying no, "I helped you once already, you've used up your turns," before she spun on her heel and disappeared through the curtain.

"Rory..." the Doctor began.

"This is your fault," Rory cut in.

"Rory…" Angel tried.

"I'm so sorry, but Rory..." the Doctor spoke at the same time.

"No!" Rory snapped, and they could tell he was glaring, "This is _your_ fault! You should look in a history book once in a while, see if there's an outbreak of plague or not."

"That is not how I travel."

"Then I do _not_ want to travel with you!" he ripped the glasses off and threw them onto the ground.

Angel and the Doctor winced at the sound of screeching feedback before another noise drifted over to them...someone was crying.

~8~

"Rory," Angel's voice called soothingly, "The Time Glass is picking up something. I...I think it's Amy. Past Amy."

Rory held up the Time Glass and aimed it through the curtains and into the small room only to see Amy, his Amy, standing there against the back wall, her head bowed, crying, "Oh, Amy…" he breathed. He stepped more into the room and walked over to the Future Amy, kneeling down before her, "Look me in the face and say you won't help her."

Amy looked him dead in the eye, "I will _not_ help her."

"Ok...ok," he stood up and walked a few feet away, thinking, before leaning against a piece of furniture, holding up the Time Glass before him, "Look me in the face and say it _now_ ," he turned the glass on and Past Amy appeared, still crying.

"Rory?" she looked up, hearing him speaking, "Rory is that you?"

Rory soniced the Time Glass, boosting the power…

~8~

Past Amy's eyes widened, seeing a small portal appear before her, round, just like the Time Glass was. She slowly approached it, "Rory, where are you?"

"Same place as you," Rory's voice came over the comm. from the glass, "And a bit ahead."

"I remember this…" another voice said as an older, ginger woman approached the glass.

"But who's she?" Amy frowned, "There's no one else here, but...me," her eyes widened, realizing just who the woman was.

~8~

Rory stepped outside, leaving the Amys alone to talk, when Handbot Rory held up the glasses to him. He gave the robot a small smile, taking them.

~8~

"Why are we still here!?" Amy asked her older self.

"Because they leave you," the other her stated, but it was wrong, it _sounded_ wrong, it sounded more like she was trying to convince _herself_ that was what had happened than what actually happened, "Because they get in their TARDIS and they fly away."

She shook her head, "No, Rory wouldn't, not _ever_ , neither would the Doctor, and certainly NOT Angel. Something must have stopped them."

"You did. Or rather, the old version of you. The Me version of you. _I_ refuse to help them. I won't let them save myself."

"Why?" she shook her head, why would anyone do that?!

"If you escape, then _I_ was never trapped here, the last 36 years of my life rewrites, and I cease to exist. That's why Old Me refused to help then...that's why I'm refusing to help now...and that's why _you'll_ refuse to help when it's your turn. Nothing you can say will change that."

Amy nodded to herself, not believing that for a second, because she knew, the only thing that _would_ change that, "Three words. What about Rory?"

"Rory?" her other self blinked, "I...I called my robot Rory."

"You called your robot Rory? You didn't call it the Doctor, or Angel?"

"It's a boy robot."

"Fair enough, but what about Biggles, our favorite cat?"

Her other self started to smile at that, remembering who had given her Biggles, remembering Rory that summer, "Do you, um...remember that summer when he came back to school with that _ridiculous_ haircut?"

"He said he'd been in a rock band."

They both laughed and muttered, "Liar."

"And then he had to learn to play the guitar…" her older self continued.

"So we wouldn't know he couldn't play it. Mhmm."

"All those boys _chasing_ me, but it was only ever Rory," she looked at her younger self, "Why was that?"

Amy smiled sadly at her, realizing that all the time alone...she couldn't remember why she'd picked Rory, why she loved him so much. She could see it in her older self's eyes that she _did_ love Rory, she just...didn't remember why. But SHE did, "You know when, sometimes, you meet someone so... _beautiful_ , and then you actually _talk_ to them, and five minutes later they're as dull as a brick? Then there's other people, and you meet them and think, 'Not bad, they're ok.' And then you get to know them...and their face just sort of...becomes them. Like their personality's written _all_ over it. And they just turn into something so beautiful?"

"Rory's the most beautiful man I've ever met," they both said at the same time.

"Please," she begged her other self softly, "Do it for _him_."

The woman sighed, "You're asking me to defy destiny, causality, the nexus of time itself, for a _boy_?"

"You're Amy...he's Rory...and oh, yes, I am."

~8~

Rory looked up as Future Amy threw apart the curtain and looked at him, "I'm going to pull time apart for you," she told him, before she walked over to him and kissed him gently as she had been longing to do for 36 years, letting him pull her into a hug, as she, for the first time in decades, allowed herself to cry on his shoulder.

~8~

"We should..." Angel began, turning the monitor off, "Give them a moment alone," she finished.

The Doctor nodded, "I was just about to do that," he agreed.

Angel gave him a soft smile and shook her head, "No you weren't, you wanted to be nosy."

He pouted, "Yes, well...humans are interesting."

"And amazing," Angel had to agree, "Rory is an incredible human being, isn't he?"

It took a special man to not see an older version of his wife, but just...his wife, looking as lovely and as dear to him as she ever had.

"It's not all that incredible at all," he countered, starting to frown, having caught her thoughts, "Not even human really," he continued, "It's just...love."

"Will you love me when I'm all old and saggy like the humans?" she joked, mostly because Time Lords were, for all intents and purposes, immortal in adulthood. They didn't really age. They could practically live forever, looking just as they did, barring any accidents, and then they'd regenerate.

But the Doctor frowned deeper, reaching out to take her hand in both of his, more serious than ever, "I will love you forever Nella," he told her, his hearts hurting just a little to hear that she was joking. No, not about her joking...but the _reason_ behind the joke. She thought it was a joke because they didn't age...HE thought it was a joke because he honestly didn't think he'd _ever_ be able to stop loving her at all. Even when he'd forgotten her, there had _always_ been a protectiveness, a fondness, an affection, and a love that he hadn't realized was love, "To the end of eternity and back and beyond," he reached up a hand, curling his finger to lift her chin with it, "No matter your age, no matter what you look like...beautiful, by the way," he smiled, "Always so gorgeous to me," he could see her starting to blush, "No matter what, I will always love you. And when you live that long, so long that you actually grow that old and that saggy," he joked now too, but was still quite serious, because he'd said 'when' not 'if' and he would see that happen, he would see her have an exceptionally long life, live so long that maybe she might actually grow that old despite being immortal, "I will love you even more then, because...I grow more and more in love with you every day," he whispered, "And by then..." he shook his head, "I can't even imagine how much I'll love you then," he leaned in, "My love for you is unending Nella," and gently pressed his lips to hers.

He knew he had a ways to go, to build up her comfort with him, her belief in how deserving she was of him (FAR more than he deserved HER), but he'd do it. He'd done it once before, when they'd just started Mating, he'd proven to her that she was worth it, that she was perfect for him, and that she was all he would ever want, and he could do it again. It was very much like that, like them being at the start of their relationship again, however they had the Mating under their belts and they had that connection, he could more easily show her how much she meant to him.

And he would.

He would make sure she knew how much he loved her, how sorry he was, and how much he could never be without her.

"I love you," he whispered against her lips as he pulled away, smiling as he felt her smiling against his own.

"I love you too," she breathed.

"Brilliant," he nodded, his forehead resting on hers.

"Yes you are," she laughed, biting her lip a moment as she pulled away, feeling a bit of a...thrill go through her at how his eyes immediately went to her mouth when she did that, "The kiss was rather spectacular too," she murmured, but just a bit...hesitant.

"But no detox this time," he nodded, his thumb stroking over her knuckles, "And it was SO much better because of that."

Angel let out a small breath, smiling at him for that, for his mention of that adventure, before she nodded, "I think they should be about done now too," she told him.

He nodded, "Best make sure they haven't torn time apart without us eh?" he turned to the monitor flicking it on to see that Amy and Rory were still holding each other, but Amy was calmer, "Right, we ok now?"

"Yeah," Amy nodded, pulling away from Rory to speak into the glasses, "Twostreams is back on air. Right, ok," she took a breath, "So this is big news, this is temporal earthquake time. I am now officially changing my own future. Hold on to your spectacles. In my past, I saw my future self refuse to help you. I'm now _changing_ that future and agreeing. Every law of time says that shouldn't be possible."

"Though sometimes knowing the future helps you change it," Angel remarked.

"Psychic," the Doctor smiled.

"Thief," she countered.

"It's especially easy if you're bloody minded, contradictory, and completely unpredictable," he added.

Rory laughed, "So, basically, if you're Amy, then?"

"Yes, if anyone could defeat pre-destiny, it's your wife."

"It's not about what I'm doing, but _who_ I'm doing it for," Amy told them.

~8~

Past Amy opened the door to the temporal engine room, cautiously looking out at the observation deck before stepping out on to the deck, checking for Handbots.

~8~

Future Amy stepped out onto the observation deck, Rory following when she stopped and looked back at Rory, "I'm trusting you to watch my back, Rory."

"Always," he nodded, "You and me, always."

"'Cos here's the deal..." she took a breath, "You take me too in the TARDIS. Me too."

Rory frowned, "But that means that there'll be two of you, permanently, forever."

"And that way we _both_ get to live."

"Two Amys together. Can that work?"

"I don't know, it's your marriage," the Doctor replied over the comm..

"I think he meant temporally," Angel told him quietly.

"Oh," the Doctor realized.

"So?" Rory shook his head, waiting for the answer.

"Perhaps, maybe, if we shunted the reality compensators on the TARDIS, re-calibrated the doomsday bumpers, and jettisoned the karaoke bar, yes, maybe, yes…Angel?"

"It could do it," Angel agreed simply for Rory, "The TARDIS should be able to hold the paradox in place. She's a tough old girl, aren't you Sissy?"

~8~

In the TARDIS the Doctor looked at Angel with concern even as the box hummed. She looked back at him, offering him a small smile, though both of them were thinking about the last time the TARDIS maintained a paradox...what had happened to her because of it...

"We can do it," Angel added, and not just for Rory.

~8~

Rory nodded, "Right. Amy..." he held up the Time Glass to see Past Amy standing there before him before glancing at Future Amy, "And Amy. The wife and the wife, right."

"Ok, Amy," the Doctor called over the comm..

"Past Amy," Angel clarified.

"Yes, stand by the door. Future Amy, you too. Future Amy, can I borrow your sonic scr...er...it's a probe..."

Future Amy smiled a bit at the glasses, "It's a _screwdriver_!" she handed it over to Rory before heading over to the door.

"Rory, sonic it, double our power," the Doctor instructed as Rory flashed the Doctor's sonic on Amy's sonic before tossing it back to her, "Future Amy, you're our link to Past Amy."

"You're going to need a signal," Angel told them.

"That signal will be a thought. Amys, share a thought. Something so powerful that it can rip through time. Rory, sonic the plinth front. Inside you'll find three levers and a jumble of wiring. That's the regulator valve."

Rory nodded and headed over to a box outside the door, taking off the front panel.

"If this works...you need to hurry," Angel warned them, "You'll only have about ten minutes to get to the TARDIS, we won't be able to keep her here long, but we'll try."

"Ok," Rory nodded, ready.

"Pull out the red and green receptors," the Doctor began to explain quickly, "Reroute blue into red and green into blue, leave red loose, and on no account touch anything yellow," Rory frowned, pulling out the green and blue wires and stared at them, "Come on, Rory. It's hardly rocket science. It's just quantum physics."

"Doctor, they didn't even begin to teach _us_ that till we were at least forty," Angel defended Rory's struggle, "Rory's not even thirty!"

"Yes but in Earth terms of mental capacity we were probably what, 9?" the Doctor countered.

"Yes, right," Rory muttered, working on the wires, working it out, as Future Amy glanced around for any approaching Handbots, "Blue into red..."

"Now the lever," the Doctor turned back to his conversation with Rory, "Throw them in order! Amys, start thinking the most important thought you've ever had. Hold it in your head and do not let it go! Lever one."

Rory pulled it as Future Amy muttered, "Macarena."

~8~

"Macarena," Past Amy breathed.

~8~

"Macarena," they both whispered.

"She's doing the Macarena," Rory looked up, surprised.

"Macarena," Future Amy closed her eyes.

~8~

"Macarena," Past Amy closed her eyes and started to sway.

~8~

"Macarena."

"Our first kiss," Rory realized.

"Lever two, Rory," Angel cut in softly.

Rory pulled the next lever, watching as a faint image of Past Amy started to flicker across from Future Amy.

"Lever three!" the Doctor called.

Rory pulled the last lever and the Time Glass shattered.

~8~

Sparks flew up all over the TARDIS as the Doctor and Angel ran around the console, trying to soothe the less-than-pleased box.

"It'll be ok Sissy!" Angel called above the noise of minor explosions, "Just ten minutes!"

~8~

"Oh, Amy," Rory breathed, seeing Past Amy appear, solid, before her Future self.

"Oh, my God," Past Amy's eyes widened, seeing her older self.

"Oh, my God," Future Amy agreed.

Rory ran up to Past Amy and pulled her into a huge hug, holding her tightly as she held him, spinning her around. They broke apart with a little giggle before Rory became a bit guilty in front of Future Amy, "Sorry..." he muttered.

"Hello," Future Amy eyed herself.

"Hello!" Past Amy greeted with a grin.

"I don't know what to..." they both began at the same time.

"Weird," Rory whispered.

"Ok, this is weird," both Amys agreed, "Right, just stop doing that."

"How about...Amy One speaks first?" Rory suggested.

"Which one's Amy One?" they both looked at him.

"Well..."

"I am," they turned to each other, "No, _I_ am!" and back to Rory, "Rory! Rory...just stop doing that!"

The glasses started sparking, "Ah!" he cried out.

"Rory, take them off," Angel called, concerned, "It's temporal feedback."

Rory quickly threw the glasses to the floor.

~8~

The console was starting to smoke as more sparks flew, even a few little fires springing up, "Whoa!" the Doctor called, his voice travelling over the comms. as well, "Calm down, dear!"

The TARDIS hummed and Angel nearly laughed, "I get the feeling she's saying 'call her dear one more time…'" she let the threat fall off, the TARDIS was none too happy with the current situation, and not just for herself, they both knew that the box was aware of what the Paradox Machine had done to Angel last time.

"Rory, Amy, we've created a massive paradox and the TARDIS hates it," the Doctor ran around frantically, trying the controls with Angel.

"She's self-phasing," Angel added.

He nodded, "Trying to get out of here. What's nasty Amy done to you? Just calm down, dear…" a large spark erupted near his hand at his use of 'dear' again, "Right…hang on in there. Rory, you've got eight minutes left. I'm sorry, you're on your own now."

Suddenly the picture on the monitor went to static.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little bit more fluff here for you ;) Awww :)
> 
> While I felt really bad for Amy in this episode, I always felt a little...annoyed? With how she kept going on about 36 years when Rory, the boy who waited 2,000, was standing right there :( I really wanted someone to comment on that and I thought Angel would be the better option, she could understand how he felt, she was the only one there that had also been alone for 2000 years, something I'm honestly not sure if the small group realized when they'd rescued Angel from the TARDIS :( But oh boy, we only have one chapter left for this episode along with another issue to be resolved that was slightly hinted at in about...2 words...from the first chapter of the episode }:)


	35. The Girl Who Waited: Two Shocks

"I'm not on my own," Rory tried to reassure himself after hearing the comms. cut off, "I've got my wives," he held up both thumbs at the Amys.

"Do not be alarmed…" a Handbot began.

Rory turned around to see three Handbots marching towards them, "Incoming!"

"...this is a kindness."

Future Amy tossed her past self her staff, "With me."

"Do not be alarmed, this is a kindness. This is a kindness."

Rory and the Amys took positions as Future Amy crept along the side of the wall, out of sight of the Handbot sensors, and took out one of the Handbots before looking back at Past Amy, "Amy, Kate Hayler, year ten hockey."

"Go for the shins!" Past Amy muttered before smashing the Handbot before her in the shins, flipping it over onto its back. Rory tried to push the last one back while also staying out of reach of its hands.

"This is a kindness."

"Duck!" Past Amy called, swinging the staff and knocking the head off.

Rory's eyes widened as five more Handbots appeared via a teleport, "They're cutting off the Departure Gate. We can't get back to the TARDIS."

"Side door," Future Amy called, "We'll go behind them," she jumped over the counter beside her, Past Amy and Rory following as she led them down a hallway and down a stairwell.

"Think you're coming with us, just like that?" Past Amy had to ask, having heard everything over the comms..

"Yeah, just like that."

"Rory, talk to her!"

"Rory! Talk to her!"

"Now, ladies..." Rory began but both Amys huffed and continued on, stepping out the bottom door and walking through a maintenance hallway.

"Where are you going to live?" Past Amy asked.

"Not with you, don't worry. I'll go travelling. Pop back for Christmas, maybe Easter."

"Amy, you always say, cooking Christmas dinner, you wish there was two of you," Rory remarked, trying to lighten the mood.

Future Amy pushed through another door and they reached the Gate Room. Past Amy stood by the door with the staff, keeping watch as Future Amy and Rory ran over to the controls, before using the 'probe' on the door sealing it to try and keep the Handbots out a little longer.

"Can't we just teleport in?" Rory asked.

"It's not a teleport, it's a time jump," Future Amy replied.

"They can't shunt within the same time stream," Past Amy added.

Older Amy looked up at her, a bit startled her past self had picked that up so quickly and nodded, "Yes."

"The TARDIS is in the Gallery," Rory shook his head, not having followed any of that but just trying to be useful.

It was weird, when Angel talked time and time travel he could usually keep up...and she called herself 'not a genius,' which he found amusing. He had a teacher once who always said that truly knowing a subject, truly being an expert in it, meant that you knew it well enough that you could explain it to others in an easy way, in a way they could understand. And, that sort of made sense with Angel and the Doctor, now that he thought about it. The Doctor was brilliant, a stone cold genius, he knew, but the man himself did admit at times to having no clue what he was doing. And the way he rambled about some things or what he compared them to...like conceptual space being banana-like, made people question not only his sanity at times, but how well he actually knew time travel. He was sure the Doctor knew it very, VERY well...but Angel understood it inside and out, and always managed to explain it and simplify it so that anyone could understand. That had to be a sign of genius too.

"Gallery closed," Interface replied.

"Controls are stuck," Future Amy remarked as she pressed the controls, "They've locked them from outside."

"Can you unlock them?" Rory asked her.

"Yeah, give me a minute and your cutest smile," Rory quickly smiled at her before looking away, nervous of Handbots entering, "That's the one."

Rory glanced at Past Amy and then her future self, "Can you stop flirting with me? You're old enough to be..."

"I've known you my whole life. How many games of Doctors and Nurses?"

"Shh!" he flushed.

"Don't get coy now," she tapped his nose...and suddenly all the gate doors opened and Handbots entered.

"Do not be alarmed. This is a kindness," Past Amy tossed the staff back to Future Amy, "Do not be alarmed. This is a kindness," Rory used the sonic on the controls and pressed the button to the gallery, "Do not be alarmed. This is a kindness."

They ran through the doorway into the gallery, Future Amy leading the way, using her sword and staff on the Handbots that had been waiting on the other side. Past Amy and Rory ran across the room, along the outside walls, pushing down a Handbot at the end of the room as Future Amy spun around and kicked the Handbots in her way, cutting them down.

"Come on!" they shouted back for her.

"Go!" she urged, "I've got your back!"

Past Amy and Rory rushed through another door...when Amy froze, yelping as she nearly ran into another Handbot that had been waiting for them.

"Do not be alarmed. This is a kindness."

Past Amy jumped back...only for a second Handbot to touch her on the side of the face. She fell to the floor as Rory forced the first Handbot's hands together before rushing over to her, "No!" he grabbed a copy of the Mona Lisa and rammed it over the second Handbot's head, shorting it out before kneeling beside Amy.

Future Amy had just entered the door, watching as Rory lifted her past self into his arms and carried her to the back of the room where the TARDIS was sitting.

~8~

The doors to the TARDIS were kicked open as Rory ran in, gently laying Amy, Past Amy, on the ground, the Doctor rushing over to help while Angel tried her level best to keep the TARDIS in place by the controls, this time it was the Humans who had been cutting it rather fine.

"Ah, it's just an anesthetic," the Doctor reassured Rory as he grabbed the sonic off the man and flashed Amy, checking on her before he covered the girl with his jacket, "She'll be fine," he stood and ran to the doors, peeking out them, watching as Future Amy threw aside her staff and sword and ran for the TARDIS, "I'm sorry," he breathed...

Before he slammed the doors closed, just as she reached them, locking them.

"What are you doing!?" Rory demanded as he stood.

"I lied to her, Rory."

"Doctor?" Future Amy pounded on the door, "Let me in!"

"There _can't_ be two Amys in the TARDIS. The paradox is too massive…"

"She'll _die_ if we keep her out!" Rory glared.

"And _Angel_ will die if we let her in!" the Doctor countered, his own expression morphing into a glare at the suggestion Rory was making. Granted, Rory likely didn't know what paradoxes and the TARDIS seemed to do to Angel...but...just the thought of Angel dying from a paradox again...chilled him to the bones.

Rory blinked, stunned at that, "What?"

"The paradox is too massive," the Doctor whispered now, unable to even _speak_ about what had happened to Angel before, "And paradoxes...they affect the TARDIS in a BAD way Rory, in a VERY bad way...Angel is affected too. It could KILL her Rory..."

"Doctor let me in!" Future Amy pounded.

The Doctor shook his head, closing his eyes, "No," he murmured to himself, "She'll never have existed. When we save our Amy, this future _won't_ have happened," it was the only thing he could think to say that would make doing this even slightly better.

"But she happened!" Rory pointed at he door, "She's there!"

"Doctor!" Future Amy tried to shake the door open, "I trusted you! Angel please, don't let him do this!"

Angel looked down at the console sadly, her hearts breaking as she heard the Doctor repeat, "No, she's not real."

But she WAS real, she was standing outside the doors, right now, begging them to save her.

"She is real," Rory shook his head, agreeing with Angel's unspoken words.

"Look, we take this Amy, we leave ours," the Doctor opened his eyes to look at Rory, a hard look in his eyes, refusing to even entertain the thought of having both Amys, of creating that sort of paradox, inside the TARDIS, not given what he knew it would do to Angel, "There can only be _one_ Amy in the TARDIS. Which one do you want?" he put Rory's hand on the latch, "It's your choice."

"This isn't fair. You're turning me into you."

"Your choice, Rory."

"I, er…"

Future Amy pounded on the door, "Doctor?" but he walked away, checking on Past Amy once more, trying to focus on her so that he wouldn't have to listen to Future Amy's cries, "Doctor! Angel? Doctor!"

The Doctor stood and headed to the console, not able to look back, he could feel Angel's heartsbreak at this as well and he just...he wanted to get there, help her set the controls to get them out as soon as possible so that they wouldn't have to be there any longer than necessary. It was breaking his hearts as well.

Rory looked up as Future Amy's hand appeared in one of the window panes, "Rory?" she whispered through the door, "Please…" he put his hand on hers against the glass, not seeing Angel look over, watching him with tears in her eyes, "The look on your face when you carried her. Me. _Her_. When you carried her away, you used to look at _me_ like that. I'd forgotten how much you loved me. I'd forgotten how much I loved being her," Rory leaned his head against the door, crying now, a sight which broke Angel's hearts all over again, "Amy Pond, in the TARDIS. With Rory Williams."

"I'm sorry, I can't do this," he started to unlock the latch when…

"If you love me, don't let me in," Rory looked up, alarmed, as Angel flinched and looked away, "Open that door, I _will_ , I'll come in. I don't want to die. I won't bow out bravely."

The Doctor looked at Angel across the console as she continued to look down at the controls, unseeing them, tears in her eyes as well as she just...stared. She could relate oh so much to giving up her life for the man she loved. But it wasn't even just that. Amy, Future Amy, was still their Amy to her, she was still Amy, she was her companion's wife, her 'sister-in-law,' her family...she'd lost one of the most important members of her family, she didn't want to lose another, not like this, not ever.

"I'll be kicking and screaming, fighting. To the end."

Rory's voice broke as he spoke again, "Oh, Amy. Amy, I love you."

"I love you too," Future Amy started to cry, "Don't let me in. Tell Amy, your Amy, I'm giving her the days. The days with you. The days to come."

"I'm so, _so_ sorry."

"The days I can't have. Take them, please. I'm giving you my days."

"I'm so, so _sorry_."

Angel sucked in a breath as the TARDIS hummed around her, listening to Future Amy speaking softly to Rory through the door, actually telling him _not_ to open it…and it was too much.

She couldn't bear it, neither, it seemed, could the TARDIS.

"Could it work?" Angel asked the box, looking up at the rotor as she placed a hand on the console. Rory and the Doctor seemed to have heard her as they both looked at her in confusion. The TARDIS simply hummed again, "I don't care if it's dangerous, can it _work_?!" she half begged.

There was a moment...before it hummed again.

Angel nodded, blinking the tears from her eyes before she closed them, reaching forward to put her other hand on the rotor, "Then we have to _try_. Will you help me Sister?"

The TARDIS hummed again and the light of the rotor grew brighter.

The Doctor cautiously made his way around the console, to Angel, "Angel…what are you doing?"

Angel's face scrunched in concentration and, instead of answering him, said, "Rory…open the doors…"

"What?!" the Doctor's eyes widened as Rory's mouth dropped open, looking between them for confirmation, "Rory don't you dare…"

"Rory," Angel called again, opening her eyes as they blazed gold, the energy picking up around her, swirling her in a golden cocoon, making her shake at the sheer power coursing through her, " _Open_ the _doors_! _Quickly_!"

Rory didn't need to be told again, quickly unlocking the doors, throwing them open.

True to her word, Future Amy ran inside, slamming the door behind her so the Handbots that had begun to swarm her couldn't follow.

The reaction to the paradox was instant.

Angel cried out in agonizing pain, her legs giving out from under her as she partially collapsed onto the console, clinging to the controls, doing her best to keep her hand on the rotor as the energy whirled madly around her. The TARDIS began to shake, the lights turning red, as angry, pained hums began to sound more like alarms than anything.

"Angel!" the Doctor cried, running to her side, only to be held back by the Vortex creating a wall around her, keeping him from stopping her.

"Get...us...out," Angel ground out, her words coming across more like she was trying not to scream, "Hurry! _Please_!"

The Doctor hesitated only a moment in his shock at what she was planning and attempting to do, before turning and piloting them away as quickly as he could. His eyes remained on Angel though, watching as she struggled with the power, as it rippled off her in waves, her face contorted in pure pain. He pulled a lever, setting them down with a jolt in the only place he could think to take Future Amy.

He immediately turned, turning to Rory where he and Future Amy had fallen against at the sudden departure, "Get out!" he shouted to Future Amy, "Rory get her out, NOW!"

Rory jumped into action, opening the doors and half shoving Future Amy out of them...the lights in the TARDIS instantly turning normal the moment she was out of the room.

The Doctor spun around, to Angel, seeing the golden swirls fading from around her and raced back to her side, skidding to the ground, his arms wrapping around her as she fell to her knees, struggling to breathe. He quickly took her face in his one hand, unwilling to let go of her with his other, looking her in the eye, using their connection to see if she was alright, not wanting to waste the time it would take to pull the sonic out.

The power of the Vortex was still settling within her though, making the sensations muddled.

All he could tell was that...she was still alive.

He stared at her in shock, completely stunned by what she had accomplished with the TARDIS's help. It literally should have been _near impossible_ for _both_ Amys to exist even for a _split second_ within the TARDIS, but, somehow, Angel had been able to boost the TARDIS and, not only that, use the Vortex to _maintain_ the paradox. And, given what happened the last time a paradox was maintained by the TARDIS…he honestly couldn't believe she was even still _breathing_.

Angel let out a small weary laugh, catching his thoughts, "You should trust me more Theta," she wheezed, her voice hoarse and soft, her words breathy, still trying to catch her breath and stop shaking, there was a fine layer of sweat on her brow as well, a tired...still very pained...look in her eyes to match, "If there's one thing I've learned from being with you…I am stronger than I think I am and _far_ stronger than I seem…"

He nodded, still too stunned to really do anything else.

He knew that was true already, he knew she was stronger than anything even before she'd met him. It had nothing to do with him really...look at all she had survived from even before he'd found her. She had endured her mother's death, her sister's death, the entire War, _without_ letting it corrupt her or bitter her. She'd survived _50 years_ alone with just a Dalek, survived experimentation and dissection and captivity and still managed to trust humanity and see the good in them. Look at what she had done just then! Look at what she'd been able to achieve with the Vortex! And then, because of him...she'd endured more than anyone deserved...and she was still there! She'd lived through their Mating, through two years of her dying and a poisoning, through his amnesia, her own capture, her pregnancy, their...daughter. She had lived through so much and was still standing...there was nothing anyone could tell him that would EVER make him believe she was weak.

She was the strongest woman he knew.

"I know," he whispered, pulling her into his arms, holding her tightly. He rocked her just a bit, too overwhelmed that she had survived that, closing his eyes in thanks, before he dropped a kiss to her hair, to the top of her head, "You're ok," he murmured, dropping more kisses to her hair, "You're alright, you're ok...thank the stars..."

"Doctor?" Rory called from the doorway, slightly interrupting the moment, Future Amy standing behind him in the distance, "Um…Jack's asking what happened…and I'm not entirely sure I know…"

The Doctor nodded, helping Angel to her feet and leading her to the doors as Rory entered the TARDIS, helping Past Amy up as she slowly woke.

"Where is she?" Past Amy asked her husband.

Rory just nodded to the doorway where Future Amy was standing, waiting for them.

As soon as Angel had stepped out of the blue box Future Amy was pulling her away from the Doctor and into a tight hug, "Thank you," she whispered in Angel's ear, tears evident in her voice, "Thank you. It was you. I _knew_ it would be you…36 years of thinking the Doctor abandoned me…that Rory had given up on me…it was never _you_ , I never thought that about you. Because I've seen you," she pulled away to look at Angel, a small smile on her face, "I talked to all those people who came to help in Demons Run, _all_ those people _you_ saved when the Doctor couldn't…and I knew you'd save me too, somehow."

It was why she had been kinder when Angel spoke, why she was less bitter about her. The Doctor...he ran, he didn't look back, Angel never let go, Angel kept everyone together just like the Dream Lord said, she was the glue. Every single person, all those people, hundreds of them, that Angel had saved had been connected from that moment on. All those people were ones the Doctor had nearly failed to save. Angel saw the future, she helped save people all the time, in little ways, and she knew...she had hoped, that Angel would do the same to her. That...well, as corny as it was to say, that Angel would pull a miracle, and save her too. Save her like all those others.

Angel smiled, reaching up to put a strand of Future Amy's hair behind her ear fondly, blinking quite a bit and swaying, "I'm glad…" she managed to whisper...before her eyes rolled back into her head and she collapsed to the floor, the Doctor just barely managing to grab her before she actually hit the ground.

None of them had seen that coming.

"Angel!" Jack shouted as the rest of the Torchwood team crowded around her, Owen frantically checking her, "Owen what's happening?"

Owen looked up at Jack, wide eyed from where he'd been listening on his stethoscope, "Her left hearts given out!"

"Get her to the med-bay now!" Jack ordered as he and Rory moved to help Angel up, Past Amy moving to help her future self tug the Doctor away as the man seemed to have gone into shock at the last bit of information, she could feel him shaking under her hand...

~8~

It was all a blur to Rory and his 'wives' as they stood in the med-bay after it was all over. Really it was a medical examination/autopsy room with a small exam table that Angel was now lying on, the Doctor sitting by her side, holding her hand tight, as Jack stood across from her with Gray, Ianto up by the railings, watching, as the rest of Torchwood kept an eye on things in the rest of the Hub, though all of them wandered past, looking down at them to check in.

After Angel's left heart gave out there had been a mad scramble to get her to the med-bay, Owen and Rory quickly getting to work, hooking her up to machines to monitor while they checked what was happening. And then she' had suddenly started to convulse and her right heartbeat started to pick up to a disturbing pace before flat lining completely. The Doctor had gone through a strange cross between feeling his own life on the brink of ending and trying to scramble to her side, beside himself with concern and wanting to be near her. It reminded the Amys very much of how he'd freaked out and 'lost his cool' when he'd thought she was going to give birth in the Dream Lord's world. As calm and collected as he normally was under pressure...they had truly seen him lose it entirely when Angel had literally died. It wasn't like with River in Berlin, Angel wasn't conscious to keep him calm, Angel was dead in front of him and he'd just...snapped. It had taken Gwen, Gray, and Future Amy to literally hold him down to keep him from interfering or getting in the way as Rory, Owen, and Jack worked on Angel. Past Amy, Tosh, and Ianto had been forced to stand to the side, watching and praying everything would be ok.

After a few shocks of a defibrillator, which they'd _all_ doubted would work, Angel's right heart had started to beat again…and slowly (they had to be _very_ careful with their shocks) they finally got the other heart again. It had been so alarming and terrifying for Jack to see Angel like that because...there hadn't been any sign of regeneration, Angel had just keeled over too quickly for it to set in, it seemed. So they'd rushed into action to try and save her, bring her back and save her like she had all of them. The Doctor had calmed down considerably when both hearts were beating again and, once Angel was stable, had been able to explain to Jack what had happened on their last adventure, telling him about Future Amy, now dubbed Amy-O for 'Amy One' as Rory had called the Amys what felt like ages ago, and asking him if he could watch out for Amy-O in the timelines, which he'd agreed.

But that still left one thing…

"Doctor…" Rory began softly, moving to stand beside the Doctor but by Angel's head, "What happened to her? Angel's used her powers before but…they never almost _killed_ her…"

Jack snorted at that, "That you know of," they looked at him and he sighed, "Seems like almost every time that girl's died since the War, it's involved her powers."

The Doctor nodded solemnly, thinking on that, on how true it was. Yes, not all the times since the War had been a result of her powers, but...they were always being used when it happened it seemed. The Dalek had killed her, made her regenerate, but she hadn't known about her Vortex power then. She had nearly died using if if he hadn't saved her facing the Daleks. But then...there was when she'd defeated the Beast, using the Vortex. Yes, she'd died from the paradox but she'd also been using her Vortex power at the time as well. There was Mars and how close she'd come then...there were SO many times where she'd nearly died or did die using the Vortex, and this had nearly been one of them.

"She used too much of her powers took quickly," the Doctor murmured, "She wasn't ready…"

"What, exactly, did she do?" Amy asked.

"Not only was she maintaining the paradox of having you both inside the TARDIS," the Doctor began, moving his other hand to Angel's as well, her hands were cold and he just...he had to make them warmer, "Something that killed her twice before mind you," he sighed, "But she was literally fighting _against_ time to do it."

"How so?" Amy-O asked.

She understood enough about time, Interface had told her everything she wanted to know about it, which was everything the Apalapucians knew about it...she hadn't had much else to learn about while in Twostreams...to know that what Angel had accomplished in getting her out as well should have been impossible. She had known it at the time, known that asking the Doctor and Angel to take both her and her past self was impossible, but she'd had to ask and she'd thought, if anyone could twist the laws of time or find some loophole, the Time Lords could. She just...she didn't know how anyone could literally fight time to do it.

"Angel's powers, the Vortex inside her…it makes her a conduit for the power of time…" the Doctor swallowed hard, not wanting to divulge this tale, not wanting to admit it to Jack especially, "We had a trip once, her and I, to Mars…" he looked up at Jack, "Bowie Base One."

"No!" Jack's eyes widened.

"What's Bowie Base One?" Gray frowned, looking at his brother's alarm.

"The first human colony on Mars," Jack explained, "In the future. It blew up with no warning, no one knew why...it's also a fixed point in time," he shook his head, not sure he wanted to know, "Doctor tell me you didn't..."

The Doctor nodded ashamedly, "I…snapped, tried to change it…" he let out a mirthless laugh, "Tried to alter a fixed point in time…and it _worked_ for a moment or two…but…Angel, the Vortex…" he shook his head, "It used _her_ to reverse time, to take us both back to our bodies _before_ I changed what I did. Nearly _killed_ her to do it. But, back then, she had no control over that, it just _happened_ …but now…" he squeezed her hand, leaning forward to brush a lock of damp hair from her unnaturally pale face, "This time, she _fought against_ that, against time wanting to reverse what we were doing, and…she _succeeded_ …" he let out a breath, cross between being terrified and impressed by it, by what it could mean, "She's becoming more powerful than time itself…"

"And…that's _bad_?" Rory guessed.

"Time Lords were NEVER meant to take in the Vortex," he told them, "We'd become corrupt, vengeful, too powerful to be controlled…"

Amy snorted this time, actually managing to lighten the mood with her next words as well, "And you think that could _ever_ be Angel?"

"Never ever," he murmured, a small smile appearing on his face as he looked at his Mate.

"She's an angel," Amy-O said softly, to which everyone couldn't help but agree.

~8~

Jack sat in another part of the hub, his team idly working around him as he sat with the Doctor, Rory, and the Amys. They had wanted the Doctor to eat something, to come into the hub and join them for dinner but he wouldn't leave Angel's side…not until the girl woke up. They had half-demanded he go eat something, insisted that Angel would be fine for a few minutes as Owen checked her vitals. He'd still been anxious to leave until Rory volunteered to help the other Doctor. Rory had just joined them moments ago to say everything seemed to be fine, that Angel's vitals were getting stronger, that she had woken up but was insisting the Doctor finish eating first.

Jack sighed, nodding his thanks to Rory before looking at the Doctor, "So Doc…how are you coping with everything?"

"I'm alright," the Doctor sighed, shaking his head, though they all knew he wasn't, especially with how his glance kept getting pulled to the doors that led to the med-bay and how he was trying to scarf down the food Jack had piled in front of him so he could go see Angel again, "I'm always alright."

Jack nodded slowly, "And Angel?" the Doctor was silent, "How are you coping with her?"

The Doctor looked at him, slightly confused, "What do you mean?"

Jack just looked at him, shocked, before he realized something, "You…can't see it can you?"

"See what?"

Jack tensed, glancing at his team, who had all seemed to be watching them out of the corner of their eyes, to see them exchanging looks. They knew what he was speaking of, having seen it first hand.

The Doctor seemed to notice the looks as well and turned a firm look at Jack, "Jack, see _what_?"

Jack sighed, getting up, "Red, Beaky," he turned to Amy and Rory, "You might want to stay with him. Tosh?"

"On it," Tosh nodded as he left, rushing to a monitor before them in the wall, flicking it on to the surveillance feed from autopsy. The Doctor frowned, scooting closer with Rory and the Amys, watching as Jack entered and motioned for Owen to leave…

Jack sat down before Angel, pulling up a small stool, "Hey sis, how are you?"

She smiled at him, sitting up on the small exam bed and shrugging just a bit, "I've got both my hearts beating again, so…"

His gaze turned more serious, "That wasn't what I was asking and you know it Angel," she looked away at the full use of her name, he only ever called her 'Angel' instead of 'Angie' or 'Ang' when he was being very very serious about something, "Do you want to die?"

The Doctor sucked in a breath, the air leaving his lungs as the question was asked…

"Why would you ask me that?" Angel frowned at him, though everyone was aware she _hadn't_ actually answered with 'no.'

"Amy told me about your adventures since the Doctor regenerated," Jack began again, not answering her question either, "About volunteering to stay in a forest of Weeping Angels, going into a school of hostile aliens, getting abducted by Silurians, facing an invisible Krafayis, going into an _exploding TARDIS_ …" Angel looked away, "Anyone else would think that's just you being you and helping people…but Angel…I _saw_ that look on your face when you stepped out of the TARDIS just before, it's the _same_ one the gang saw _every day_ I worked here before the Year-That-Never-Was, the face I saw in the mirror, the face of someone who just...doesn't care anymore..." he leaned forward and took her face in his hands, tilting it to look at him, "Look me in the eye, Angie, and _tell me_ …do you _want_ to _die_?"

A moment later, Angel crumbled into tears as Jack pulled her into a hug.

And that was all the answer they needed.

The Doctor's mouth dropped open, stunned. His hearts stopped, he felt chilled, like ice water was running through his veins, every pore in his body being pricked by cold air, he couldn't breathe…he didn't know it had been _that bad_ …

He winced.

Because that was a _lie_.

He _did_ know, he HAD known, he could see it, _feel_ it, in the way she hid things from him…he just hadn't wanted to _believe_ he'd hurt her _that badly_ that she'd been _that apathetic_ to her own existence…

He felt Amy put a hand on his shoulder and realized...he was crying.

~8~

The Doctor passed Jack as he neared the med-bay, having left the room to go there the moment he saw the man get up from comforting Angel, having soniced the monitor off so the others couldn't watch this, this had to be private. Both of them exchanged a solemn look before the Doctor stepped into the main room of the Hub and made his way across it. He paused at the top of the stairs to autopsy, just...taking a moment to look down at Angel. She was lying on her back, staring at the ceiling, her eyes red and puffy, with a bit of moisture still in them.

He hesitated going down, because he didn't know what to say. What could you say to finding out someone you loved more than anything didn't want to live anymore? Or hadn't wanted to live at one point? He honestly wasn't sure how she felt anymore.

"You were watching," Angel spoke, already knowing he'd heard everything.

He nodded, heading down the stairs and into autopsy, "Why didn't you _tell_ me?" he breathed, walking over to her side, taking Jack's stool and sitting beside her, holding her hand.

"When?" she asked him, not in a cruel way, but a genuine question, "You didn't remember me Theta, you wouldn't have understood, and when you _did_ remember, I was being held by Kovarian, and then Ayla was taken, and we've been trying to find her nonstop…" she shook her head, "When would have been a good time to tell you something like that? Is there _ever_ a good time?" she sighed, "It's not something I ever wanted you to know."

"Angel…" he shook his head, "You almost _died_. Trying to save someone that _never_ would have existed…"

"But she _did_ exist," Angel countered, looking at him, "We knew it, we _met_ her, she was _there_ ," she shook her head, tears in her eyes, "I lost my daughter Theta, I _cannot lose anyone else_ , not even a soon-to-be aborted future version of Amy. I can't handle losing another member of our family. I _can't_."

"And what if you had died saving her?" he swallowed hard, hating even the _thought_ of it.

"Then she would be safe," she said simply.

His hearts broke at how...easily she cast off the thought that she would have died in the process. He didn't want to be selfish with what he said next, it was the LAST thing on his mind, but there was only one thing he could think to say that might get through to her, "And I would be alone."

He didn't doubt that she hadn't been thinking that he would die too. He'd seen how upset she had grown as Amy-O had been talking to Rory, how devastated and...he knew, in that sort of mental state, that it was hard to think past the moment, past the pain. He hoped very much that Angel had done what she had because, in some way, she'd known that she would survive it and rescue Amy in the process...much like she had known she would die if she want with him to face the Dalek in Van Statten's even if she hadn't realized it at the time.

He really, REALLY hoped she had felt that she would survive.

Unfortunately, his words had brought an unbidden thought to Angel's mind, no, he wouldn't be alone...because there would be River.

She winced, seeing his expression shatter at the thought that reached him, "I didn't...mean for you to hear that," she shook her head, "I didn't mean for you to ever find out I felt that way either."

He took enormous relief in how she was using the _past tense_ just then, in that she HAD felt that way but, and he prayed so hard, that she didn't STILL feel that way.

Angel sniffled, "I didn't want you to realize how weak I was that I..."

"Hey, hey, hey," he moved closer, sitting on the side of the bed, putting his arm around her in comfort, "Nella...you _aren't_ _weak_ ," he felt tears come to his eyes, knowing full well _his_ actions had led her to feel that way, " _No one_ who feels that was is _weak_. If anything, they just need to be reminded of how _strong_ they really are, that they're _still here_ ," he took a breath, trying to calm down, "And _you_...are _the strongest_ person I know," he held her a moment longer, waiting for her to calm down as much as she could, "When did it start?"

She looked at the ceiling instead of at him, it would be easier to do it, to tell him everything if she didn't have to truly say it to his face, to admit to him that she wasn't strong enough, good enough, for him, because this just proved it all again.

And the thought struck her again, she'd never be as perfect for him as River was…

"Nella," he cut in, reading her thoughts, needing to read her thoughts at the moment, as he squeezed her hand, River had truly done a number to her hadn't she? And he hadn't been much help. Well, he'd make sure that changed, "I will _never, ever_ think that about you, _ever_. If anything, it's the reverse, you're _too_ strong and good for me," she let out a disbelieve in laugh, "You're _still here_ Nella," he whispered, squeezing her closer, "You've fought through _all that_ , and you _survived_ , you _held on_ , you _stayed_ …you didn't run…that's more than I can say for me," he let the silence hang a moment before repeating the question, "Now tell me, when?"

She sighed, rubbing her forehead, "When I started to realize you might never remember," she blinked quickly as tears came to her eyes but she tried to hold them in, "I tried to fool…" she swallowed hard, "I tried to _convince_ myself that everything would be fine. That, at first, it was just you settling into a new personality, but then I saw that you'd forgotten me. Then I thought, maybe you just needed me to jog your memory a bit and it would come to you...but it didn't. So I tried to believe that you would just need time and… _that's_ what did it. How much time? Two months had gone by when I started to wonder about that. Would it be two more months? Two years? 200 years? 2,000? 2 million? 200 trillion? Never?" her voice broke at that word, "I tried _so_ _hard_ to believe that it would all be ok, that I would be fine just being with you even if you never did remember…but I wouldn't have been able to _stay_ , not after Ayla was born, it would be too complicated, hurt too much if you looked at our little girl and didn't believe she was _yours_ …I'm stronger than I know, but I'm _not_ that strong…"

The Doctor looked down at that, Angel was guarding her emotions even now. Her thoughts were coming through, her mind too tired and worn to hide much, but her emotions...she wasn't hiding them exactly, but dimming them. He knew the pain and fear he was feeling from her was only a fraction of what she had _truly_ felt, what she was feeling even now.

"What would you have done?" he asked her quietly, "If I hadn't remembered?"

"Gone to Sarah Jane," she shrugged, "She offered me help if I ever needed it, she could tell I was pregnant when we dealt with the Shansheeth and I told her what happened, what I knew of it. I would have gone to her and then, as Ayla grew older, probably contacted Jack and Torchwood for help, but it wouldn't be the same to raise her knowing her uncles and aunts but not her father…"

He was silent for a moment, absorbing her words, trying to come to terms with just HOW close he'd come to never knowing his daughter if he hadn't remembered when he had, before asking the question he already knew the answer to, but he _needed_ to hear it from her. He told himself it was to confirm it all, but deep down, he knew it was because her answer _would_ hurt him badly, and he deserved _far worse_ a punishment than that for what he'd put her through, "I hurt you that badly by forgetting, didn't I?"

She was silent a moment as well, "It's...difficult...to want to live when your reason for living won't even look at you," she answered quietly.

He winced, closing his eyes, feeling his hearts break at that. He knew that, whatever she was feeling, it had been made multiple time worse by the Mating. Mating meant...everything to their people, it meant that your Mate was, quite literally, the person you lived for. To have him 'rejecting' her the way he had had just been...torture, for her, had just hurt her all the more. Mating was _serious_ , it was everlasting, and it was NOT something to be entered into lightly, to reject the Mating...it was...unheard of. You literally felt everything your Mate did and to reject them, to do anything to hurt them, was equal to hurting yourself and so much worse because you had to live with the knowledge that you were the reason they were hurting. It was why so many Mated pairs rarely ever fought as terribly as the simply 'married' pairs did. The Mating gave insight to the other person, gave understanding, and gave a need to see them happy and unharmed. Matings were magical and deep and to do what he had done, even unknowingly, was horrible.

But Angel squeezed his hand, pulling his attention back, "But I found another reason," she looked down a bit, the tears coming now that they'd moved onto an equally, if a bit more, painful topic, "At first it was hard to believe I actually _had_ another reason and I was _terrified_ , truly scared that I would lose that too, like mum and my sister had, it was so... _small_ , but...as time went on and it grew larger, I was less afraid I'd lose it and it _became_ a reason to go on…"

"Ayla," he nodded.

"Ayla," she agreed, trying to smile at the thought of her daughter despite her pain.

He had started to smile as well, at how their daughter had given her hope like Angel always gave him hope...and then he shook his head fiercely, " _Don't_. Don't _do_ that Nella. Please don't."

"Don't do what?" she looked up at him, actually confused as to what he was talking about.

"That. What you _always_ do. You're trying to make me _feel better_ , you're trying to make me feel less guilty about all this. I _forgot_ you. I _hurt_ you. I made it so you didn't want to _live_ anymore," his voice broke at that as more tears filled his eyes, "And you're trying to make ME feel better? I don't _deserve_ it, I don't deserve _you_ …" he swallowed hard, "I deserve a worse hell than what the Teselecta sentenced Melody to."

Angel's response was to simply give him a small smile, "I do it because I _love_ _you,_ Theta," he looked at her as though stunned that she could even still consider having feelings for him, let alone good ones, after everything, "And I _always_ will. Forget me, remember me, love me, hate me, it doesn't matter because I will ALWAYS love you. You are my _Mate_ , it's my job to bring you _peace_ not pain. And, as I told you once, I have no desire for revenge, least of all against _you_. I _can't_ use this to hurt you Theta, and I won't, because...this? It _isn't_ something I want you to suffer with," she looked up at him, "We _need_ each other, now more than ever," she gently put her hand on the side of his face, stroking his cheek, "I _can't_ survive without you Theta, I can't do this alone, _I need you_."

"I need you too," he breathed, leaning into her touch, sniffling, "I _will_ make this up to you Nella."

"You have nothing to make up for," she told him softly, despite the fact that they both knew he really did have quite a lot to make up for.

But she couldn't help but admit...how she felt...it was partially her own fault too. She COULD have left, she could have gone to Sarah Jane earlier, she could have avoided all of the pain, or at least some of it. But she hadn't. She had decided to stay, yes, mostly to protect Rory and try to help Amy, but...the point was, she could have left but she didn't. And because of that, she had been left there to watch River and the Doctor and deal with everything with the Silence and Ayla.

The Doctor closed his eyes, kissing her forehead before turning her to hold her close, resting his chin on her head, "Then I will spend the _rest of my lives_ being the best Mate ever," he promised her lightly...

His eyes snapped open, feeling the briefest flash of... _fear_...shoot through her before it disappeared.

He knew better than to ask her about it, not now. This was _far_ too trying a time to try and force any more truths from her, it had taken her nearly dying to find out about _this_. He would talk to her later, when things had calmed down, when they settled. But he WOULD ask her, he would ask her why she felt fear at his last words.

There was only one thing he _really did_ need to know, "Do you...I mean, is it still...are you...do..."

"No," she cut in gently, laying her head half on his shoulder, half on his chest, "I...I _don't_ still feel that way," she murmured, knowing what he'd wanted to ask. What had happened before was a...lapse...it was everything just getting to her. She'd seen it in Jack, during the Year-That-Never-Was, he got better near the end but, every so often, she saw flashes of that look in his eyes once more before it disappeared.

He swallowed hard, she had said that when she 'lost him' she'd found another reason to live in Ayla...but their daughter was gone, "Are...are you sure?"

She closed her eyes a moment and shifted her head to look up at him, "Look at me Theta," and he did, he looked down at her, into her beautiful eyes, and she managed a small smile, "One of my reasons for living is looking at me again, isn't he?" she asked him, "And we WILL find the second, won't we?"

He managed a small smile as well, realizing what she was saying, all she really needed was him, as much as he needed her, "Yes, he is," he nodded, "And yes we will," he added, moving to rest his chin on her head once more as she snuggled into him.

~8~

"You should do it now Jack," the Doctor murmured as he and Jack stood in the back of the room, watching as Angel said goodbye to the Torchwood team on the other side of the room by the TARDIS, Amy and Rory already in the box, ready to head out, Amy-O staying with the team.

"Do what?" Jack asked as he stood beside the Doctor, his arms crossed, looking out at Angel, his eyes on her instead of the man talking to him.

"Punch me," the Doctor explained, "The team's distracting her," he watched as Gray and Angel shared a very tight hug, his jaw clenching as he repeated a mantra in his mind that it was her 'brother' and to stop, "She might not notice or see it coming if you do it quickly."

Jack let out a long breath, "I'm not gonna hit you Doc."

The Doctor blinked and looked at him, "You're not?" the man had punched him for simply letting Angel get captured and not noticing. This... _this_ was FAR worse than that and he... _wasn't_ getting hit for it?

"Not this time at least," Jack swallowed, and the Doctor could see there were actually tears in his eyes, "We _all_ saw it," he continued quietly, "We SAW how unhappy she was every time she contacted us or we contacted her," he shook his head, "We all noticed something was...off, but we didn't..." he cut off, his voice breaking a moment before he cleared it, "We're all to blame for not saying something earlier, for not checking in more, for not asking her about it. We were...we were trying to give her space but we...and she felt..." he stopped talking.

The Doctor nodded, "I understand," and he did, and he knew that, no matter what, no matter how guilty Jack or anyone else felt...HE felt worse, because Angel had been with _him_ more than anyone and he SHOULD have noticed. He HAD noticed she wasn't happy but he just...hadn't made the connection, he cursed the memory loss once more.

"Just...do me a favor Doc," Jack looked at him, finally pulling his gaze away from Angel as Tosh and Gwen gave her a group hug.

"Anything Jack."

Jack nodded, "Take care of her," he whispered, staring the man down, "Just...be a doctor, and make her feel better because...we can't."

It was hard to admit that. To admit that he couldn't help his little sister the same way the Doctor could. It didn't matter if he was Angel's 'brother' or not, this was...this was something so far beyond anything he could really help with. Angel could have come to stay with them, and when she _had_ he'd been able to help her a little...but this...this was something _the Doctor_ would need to do, need to resolve, and need to take care of. The entire family could be there for her, but...if the Doctor wasn't too...he knew they'd only be able to help just a little and not...really HEAL her completely. The Doctor had been the one to build her up from the girl she started as to the girl she'd regenerated into, it had been mostly HIM, and HE would have to be the one to make her ok once more.

And that was ALL he wanted, Angel to be ok again.

"I will Jack," the Doctor nodded, "I will do anything to see it happen."

Jack nodded as well, "Good."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Didn't I say we'd find out just HOW bad Angel felt from the Vincent episode here? :( I suppose now we know why she was able to relate to him so well :'( But I snuck bits of fluff in there too! :) And Jack! ^-^ And...I can say that's probably the BIGGEST issue for them to deal with. There are still...2 more, but definitely not as big as this doozy was :) And fluff! Can't forget the fluff ;)
> 
> Yay! Amy was saved, both Amys! ^-^ I felt SO bad for future Amy, how she gave up her life essentially to save her younger self, how she told Rory not to let her into the TARDIS, I just really wanted to save her :) And, I think, one thing that's always kept Angel from really letting loose with the Vortex was knowing that, if she did something too big, it could kill her, here there was still a residual of her wanting to die from earlier, she just, in that moment, didn't care what happened to her and went for it :(
> 
> Oh, quick note, I snuck a little line in here from Supernatural, so virtual cookies to anyone who spots it. I can hint it's from the 'Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid' episode ;)


	36. The God Complex: Bad Dreams

A lone woman, dressed in a police uniform, crept slowly down the hallway of a hotel that appeared to have come from the 1980s, approaching Room 214. She opened it and spotted a clown sitting on the edge of the bed, holding a single red balloon, turning his head to look at her, before she shut it and continued on. Feeling a...tug...towards a room, but she didn't know which one...

~8~

" _My name is Lucy Hayward, and I'm the last one left._ "

~8~

Lucy opened Room 215, seeing a man with an old-fashioned tripod camera, flashing a picture at her right as she closed the door and headed to the next room.

~8~

" _You don't know what's going to be in your room until you see it, then you realize it could have never been anything else._ "

~8~

She opened the door to Room 216 to hear a toilet flushing and the bathroom door opened. Her eyes widened in fear as a _gorilla_ stepped out with a roll of toilet paper in its hand. She screamed and backed out of the room, slamming the door shut in the process. Voices whispered ' _Praise Him_ ' in her head, echoing over and over as she fell back against the wall across the hall and slid to the floor. She pulled out a notepad and wrote quickly.

~8~

" _The gaps between my worship are getting shorter. This is what happened to the others. Praise him. It's all so clear now. I'm so happy. Praise him. Praise him._ "

~8~

She closed her eyes, a soft smile now on her face when she heard a growling and the thudding of heavy footsteps getting louder and nearer. She jumped up and spotted a large shadow at the end of the hall, dropping her notes as she smiled.

~8~

" _Praise him._ "

~8~

Something rushed at Lucy and there was a scream...

~8~

The Doctor popped his head over the railing of a stairwell, looking down at Amy and Rory who looked up at him, Angel just a flight below them, but not looking up as the Ponds were. Instead she was staring down across the staircase, at the halls, frowning at the architecture. It looked like a 1980s hotel of sorts.

"'Let's go to Ravan-Skala,' he says," Amy muttered, "'The people are 600 feet tall, you have to talk to them in hot air balloons, and the Tourist Information Center is made of one of their hats,' he says. I'm sorry, but I don't see any huge hats."

It wasn't even that they were going because the people were so tall...well, actually that was part of it. It wasn't because of the hot air balloons or the tourist center, but because Ravan-Skalites were said to have the best vision and hearing in their galaxy. It was said that they could see onto distant worlds and across the galaxy even. The fact that the Time Lords were determined to visit in order to ask the natives if they might have possibly seen a little girl or heard of one on other planets was proof that they were getting a bit desperate. But they all understood, the Time Lords wanted to be careful, they wanted to make sure that everywhere they went they could try to find Ayla. That everywhere they went, there was a chance of someone who might be able to help them.

"Amy," the Doctor sighed, coming up between them, "Beaky. This could be the most exciting thing I have ever seen!"

He knew he shouldn't be getting so excited about it, it was actually rather irritating what had happened. They'd been in flight, on the way to the planet of the giants, when they'd been forcibly pulled off course and landed here. And he had been irritated, furious even, not only that something had tried to take the TARDIS, something that had NEVER ended well for them in the past, but that it had interrupted their quest to find Ayla.

But he was trying very hard to try and not let it get to him, he was trying to be more like Angel, trying to, well, find the good in the bad. He was irritated, yes, it was a rubbish hotel, yes, but...it WAS interesting. And...the only good he could see in it was that...it would be a very interesting place to take Ayla when they found her again. It was curious and interesting and really quite a wonder to behold and maybe it could be added to the list of all the places he one day wanted to take his daughter to, WHEN they found her.

He refused to think IF. No, IF was NOT a possibility. Not with him and Angel working at it, not with the Ponds there, not with the rest of the family to help them find their daughter again.

That was really the only way he could remain even half-calm about being there and not in the TARDIS, flying through the Universe, trying to find Ayla again. It was the one good in the bad that he could see. And that actually...helped quite a bit. He'd been trying to do that a lot lately, find the good in the bad, try to show Angel the good in the bad whenever they ended up somewhere that Ayla wasn't. Ever since they'd gone to Torchwood to drop off Amy-O, ever since he'd learned how badly Angel had felt, he'd been so determined to make her remember the good that was still out there.

He knew she remembered it, she always found the good, always held onto it, but he knew that it couldn't always happen. It was almost impossible for someone to only see the good, to only feel good, that everyone had bad days, and all he could do was remind Angel that he was still there for her, that he ALWAYS would be, and that as long as she knew that, they would be ok. SHE would be ok. She had always helped him see the good in things, the light in the dark, and now it was HIS turn.

"You're kidding," Rory looked at him, not understanding what was so great about the place as Angel walked up to join them.

"How can you be excited about a rubbish hotel on a rubbish bit of Earth?" Amy asked.

"Because, assembled Ponds, this is _not_ Earth," he said, "This has just been made to _look_ like Earth. The craftsmanship involved...can you imagine?"

"What? Then where are we?"

They walked back down a floor where the TARDIS was resting against a wall where potted plants and framed photos were hanging on the wall around it. Amy looked at Angel, of the two aliens she would probably have a better idea of where they were.

"I don't know," Angel sighed, seeing the look, all she could tell was that they were drifting…

"Something yanked us off course," the Doctor determined, "Look at the detail on that cheese plant!" he walked over to it and deeply inhaled the leaf.

"Right, but who would mock up an Earth hotel?" Rory shook his head.

The Doctor picked up an apple from a bowl that was sitting on a table beside the plant, "Colonists maybe, recreating a bit of home, like when ex-pats open English pubs in Majorca," he took a bite of it, "No, whoever did this, I am shaking his/her hand/tentacle."

It was also giving him ideas for more rooms on the TARDIS, play rooms for Ayla that were themed. Play rooms made in different periods of time, different worlds, or! Perhaps one room that could change into whatever Ayla wanted! Yes, that would be a wonderful room to have the TARDIS make, one that could tap into the telepathic circuits and create what Ayla wanted the room to be. Usually the TARDIS would take one thought for a room, like when a companion needed a bedroom, and remain that way forever, but a room that changed depending on what their daughter wanted...he could just imagine the look on her face whenever she entered it, the wide smile, the light in her eyes...

For some reason, thinking on her, he could only imagine a little girl who looked just like Angel, like a little Angel, because really...he WANTED that. He wanted a little Angel, he wanted their daughter to be just like her, completely her. Because...he didn't want any child of theirs to have the darkness that was in him. And Angel was lovely.

' _I'd..._ ' he heard Angel begin in his mind, looking over to see her blushing a bit at all the thoughts he was having, ' _I'd actually like her to have your smile though,_ ' she finished, ' _I love your grin._ '

He smiled, walking closer to her, wrapping his arms around her and giving her a squeeze at that, the Ponds not even noticing as they looked at the photos more intently, ' _And my grin,_ ' he nodded against her head, ' _Though I DO love your smile too,_ ' he pulled away, smiling when he saw her start to smile at him too, ' _There it is,_ ' he grinned widely, leaning forward to rest his forehead to hers...

"Have you seen these?" Rory called, pulling their attention over to see him frowning as he looked at the photos of varying species, all seeming to be posed the same and wearing the same outfits, "Look at the labels underneath," he pointed to a Sontaran, "'Commander Halke, defeat,'" and then a human, "'Tim Heath, having his photo taken,'" and a woman, "'Lady Silver-Tear...Daleks.'"

"'Paige Barnes, other people's socks,'" Amy read, "'Tim Nelson, balloons.'"

Angel paused, coming to join them, her hand in the Doctor's as he followed her, looking at a cat-nun, "'Novice Prin, saberwolves,'" and then a human, "'Royston Luke Gold, Plymouth,'" she frowned, stopping at the last picture of a young woman, and reached out to touch the picture, "'Lucy Hayward...that brutal gorilla.'"

The Doctor looked between Angel and the photo, seeing her frowning intently at it, a look on his face he knew meant that she felt something was important about it even if she didn't know what.

"Doctor, what does it mean?" Amy turned to him.

"I don't know," he openly admitted before nodding, "Let's find out," the sooner they found out what was going on and why they were there, the sooner they could fix it or stop it or help it and get back to their quest.

~8~

The Doctor tapped a bell on the desk in reception...when three people ran around the corner, one of them, a lovely Indian woman, brandishing a chair leg at the Doctor while a young boy in glasses with black curly hair had a stick, and a mole-like humanoid alien waved a white handkerchief up and down in surrender. The Doctor spun around and quickly pulled Angel behind him, away from the chair leg that had come dangerously close to her head.

"Blimey, that was quick," he muttered.

"We surrender!" the mole man shouted.

"No, it's ok, we're not…we're nice!" Rory tried.

"She threatened me with a chair leg," the Doctor pointed at the woman with one hand, his other holding Angel's tightly as he glanced back over his shoulder at her, though he had to smile when Angel shook her head and rested her forehead to his back. He could feel it, she'd been surprised at the sudden appearance, one of the few things she didn't see coming.

"Who are you?" the woman demanded.

"We're back in reception," the young man muttered, startled.

Angel frowned, peeking around the Doctor's shoulder to look at him curiously, before slowly moving to the Doctor's side, him squeezing her hand to make sure that she didn't walk too far away, still not sure about the three before him...especially the woman still waving the chair leg and not seeming to care who she hit.

"We surrender!" the mole man called again.

"Never been threatened with a chair leg before," the Doctor muttered to Amy and Rory.

Angel squeezed his hand, "What about that trip to the Clandestine Empire?"

He winced, rubbing his head, "No, I tell a lie."

"Rule 1 in action," Angel remarked.

Amy, though, paused and turned to Rory, "Did you just say, 'It's ok, we're nice?'"

"Ok, I need everyone to shut up, now!" the Indian woman shouted.

"Rita, be careful, yeah?" the young man called as Rita approached the quartet, her chair leg lowered for the moment.

"Their pupils are dilated," she assessed, stepping back to the boy's side, "They're as surprised as we are. Besides which, if it's a trick, it'll tell us something."

"Oh, you're good," the Doctor smiled, "Oh, she's good. Amy, with regret, you're fired."

"What?" Amy looked at him.

"He's kidding," Angel reassured her.

The Doctor just looked at Rita and mimed holding a phone, whispering, "We'll talk," to her before glancing at the Mole Man, "I take it from the pathological compulsion to surrender, you're from Tivoli?"

"Yes, the most invaded planet in the galaxy," the Tivolian smiled, "Our anthem is called 'Glory To...Insert Name Here.'"

"You with the face…" the Doctor pointed at the boy.

"Howie," Angel whispered to him, shocking the boy a bit at how she knew that.

"Howie," he nodded, "You said you were surprised to be back in reception."

"The walls move, everything changes," Howie muttered.

"You, clever one, what's he talking about?" the Doctor asked Rita as he turned back to the front desk, letting go of Angel's hand for the moment, seeing no danger from the trio any longer.

"The hall can get shorter and longer and move," Angel answered for the woman instead, looking at the trio intently, "The rooms can disappear in one place and reappear in another, can't they?"

The trio turned to look at her, shocked, "How do you know that?" Rita asked her suspiciously.

"Psychic," the Doctor walked over to her, slowly putting an arm around Angel's shoulders.

"Thief," she countered, giving him a small smile.

She'd noticed this Doctor, whilst he did tend to hold her hand less than his last self did, he seemed fond of putting an arm around her, around her waist or her shoulders or holding her close from behind. And she knew it was _his_ doing and something HE wanted to do because. after their talk. she'd also noticed him hesitate only a second whenever he wanted to touch her in a way that he used to before. Sometimes he would follow through and continue, touch her like that, but other times he might change the way he'd wanted to touch her and hold her in a different way. It grew less and less noticeable, him pausing, as though he himself were coming to terms with what HE wanted to do and not what his last self had done before.

Rita just shook her head, not bothering to ask about that, she'd seen FAR too many strange things in this hotel, the alien standing beside her being proof enough that, if HE could exist, maybe psychics could too, "It's like the hotel's alive."

The Doctor leaned over the main desk and switched off the music that had been playing, "That's quite enough of that."

"And it's huge, with, like, no way out," Howie added.

"Have you tried the front door?" Rory gestured to the doors behind them.

"No, in two days it never occurred to us to try the front door," Rita replied sarcastically, "Thank God you're here!"

The Doctor scanned the door with the sonic as Angel walked beside it and felt the walls. Amy laughed at Rita's comment, when the Doctor threw open the doors to reveal...a white brick wall, "They're not doors, they're walls, walls that look like doors. Door-walls, if you like, or 'dwalls,' 'woors' even, though you'd probably got it when you said, 'They're not doors.' I mean, the windows are..." he opened the curtains to reveal more wall, "Right big day if you're a fan of walls," he sighed, looking at Angel, "Could you lead us out?"

She paused a moment, thinking, sensing where they were, before shaking her head, "The feelings are shifting too much with the rooms, I could try but there's nothing to say that once we reached an exit it wouldn't shift to another room. I..." she frowned a moment, concentrating, "I might be able to lead to rooms but...not an exit."

He nodded, that made sense, whatever it was that was keeping them there wouldn't want them to _escape_ , and if the other rooms weren't exits there was nothing to keep Angel from going to THEM.

"It's not just that," Rita cut in, "The rooms have... _things_ in them."

"Things?" the Doctor grinned, "Hello! What kind of things? Interesting things? I love things, ask anyone."

Rita glanced at the others before answering, "Bad dreams."

"Well..." he blinked, starting to frown, "That killed the mood. How did you get here?"

"I don't know, I'd just started my shift. I must have passed out, because suddenly I was here."

"I was blogging, next thing, this," Howie added.

"Oh, I was at work, I'm in town planning," the Tivolian stated, "We're lining all the highways with trees, so invading forces can march in the shade."

"Ah," the Doctor nodded.

"Which is nice for them."

"Yeah…so what have we got?" the Doctor walked forward towards the reception desk, "People being snatched from their lives and dropped into an endless shifting maze that looks like a 1980s hotel with bad dreams in the bedrooms," he snatched a Rubick's Cube off the counter, "Well apart from anything else, that's just rude."

"Though far less jarring than a transmat beam eh?" Angel joked a bit before her smile faded slightly.

However the Doctor nodded, "Satellite Five, oh," he shook his head, looking around, "This is _much_ more realistic than that Big Brother House…" and then he noticed her smiling softly at him, her eyes shining, an expression he'd seen once or twice before when he mentioned past trips, "What?"

"Nothing," she blushed, looking away.

He walked over to her, curling a finger as he lifting her chin to look at him, "What is it?" he searched her eyes for an answer.

"It's…nice," she replied quietly, "To hear you talking about old adventures."

He blinked, smiling softly at her, he knew what she was _really_ saying. He couldn't count the number of times she'd made a reference to a past adventure that either the two of them had shared or a small moment between the two of them during one of their companioned journeys that he'd not gotten due to the forgetfulness that had plagued him or that his mind had invented an alternate memory of. He knew that just _hearing_ him recalling them correctly gave her peace of mind, a little bit more, day by day, that he really _had_ remembered and wasn't going to forget.

"It's nice to see you smiling when I talk about them," he whispered, leaning in to kiss her gently.

Rita, Howie, and the Tivolian exchanged a look at that, before glancing at the Ponds, who could only shake their heads with soft smiles on their faces, not willing to interrupt the moment, knowing how important they were to both the Doctor and Angel.

~8~

The Doctor was leading the way up the stairs, towards the floor they'd left the TARDIS on, "We'll pop back to the TARDIS, I'll do a planet-wide diagnostic sweep, then we'll have a sing song…" he trailed off when they got to the floor only to see no TARDIS. He frowned and started feeling for the box in case she'd turned herself invisible just to spite him for their latest adventure even though it wasn't _his_ fault, something had _pulled_ them there.

"Where's the TARDIS?" Amy asked, looking at Angel, who could only shake her head, before she turned to the Doctor, "You parked it _there_ , didn't you?"

"What's a TARDIS?" Howie asked.

"Our way out," Rory sighed, "And it's gone," he rubbed a hand over his face in exasperation.

"I don't know where she is exactly," Angel said in thought as she looked at the Doctor, biting her lip a moment as she sensed for the box, "But she's alright for now."

The Doctor nodded but paused when he realized, somehow, the music had turned on once more, "Ok. This is bad. At the moment, I don't know how bad, but certainly we're three buses, a long walk, and eight quid in a taxi from good…" he looked at Angel, taking her hand, his thumb absently stroking over her knuckles, "Do you think you could teleport out of here, get somewhere safe?"

She frowned, "And leave you behind?"

They had recently discovered that she could use the Vortex to teleport quite a distance away without harming herself too much, but only on her own, without passengers. The more people there were the harder it was to do. They'd tried to see if the same teleport notion might apply to time as well as space, like...time travel without a pod...given that she had been able to teleport back 12 minutes during the Pandorica incident. But they quickly realized, history was shrinking at that point so teleporting back 12 minutes then was far easier than doing so now. The last time she'd attempted even a few seconds well, it hadn't ended well and left her with a crippling headache for days.

Perhaps with time it would be possible, but right now, she couldn't. And even then...

"I'm _not_ leaving you," she shook her head.

"Please," he whispered, reaching up his free hand to touch her cheek, "I want you safe," he gently traced her cheek with a finger, "You're a mother now…"

"And I was pregnant when I got shot by a Dalek," she reminded him, making him wince at the reminder of just how close they'd come to losing Ayla then. He'd realized, quite quickly, that the pain Angel had been in, that terrible pain, wasn't JUST from the shot, but from...their daughter having been hit and hurt as well, "I'll be fine," she squeezed his hand, making him look at her again, "And besides," she offered him a smile, "You're a father now too so if _you're_ staying, you'd be a hypocrite to send _me_ away."

He couldn't help but smile gently at that reminder. He was a _father_. He was a father again. He nodded, squeezing her hand back, before turning to look at Rita, Howie, and the Tivolian, "Are there any more of you?"

Rita glanced at Howie from where she was standing on the stairs, before answering, "Joe, but he's tied up right now."

"Doing what?"

"No, I mean he's... _tied up_ right now."

~8~

They entered the dining room of the hotel to see a man with short, slightly curly hair, tied up on a chair at one of the tables, surrounded by identical old-fashioned ventriloquist dummies, all laughing, with their heads bobbing up and down, table upon table full of them. The Doctor slowly entered, followed by Angel and the rest. The dummies stopped and, as one, turned to stare at him, all twisting their necks to watch him. He gestured for Angel to stay back with Amy and Rory, to protect them, as he took a step in.

"Hello," the Doctor greeted as he made his way towards Joe's table, "I'm the Doctor."

"You're going to die here," Joe stated, looking at the Doctor with a slightly dazed, almost crazed look in his eye.

"Well, they certainly didn't mention that in the brochure. Is Joe there? Can I have a quick word?" he moved to get a chair and set it down across from Joe.

"Oh, it's still me, Doctor, but I've seen the light. I lived a blasphemous life, but _he_ has forgiven my inconstancy, and soon...he shall feast," he said it all so...simply, as though he were just commenting on the weather.

"Well, you've been here two days, what's _he_ waiting for?"

"We weren't ready. We were still _raw_."

"But now you're what? Cooked?"

"If you like. Soon you will be, too," the Doctor frowned, spotting a horseshoe clip on Joe's tie and dice cufflinks, "Be patient. First..." he nodded at the door, "Find your room."

The Doctor looked around, slightly confused, "My room..."

"There's a room here for everyone Doctor," Joe turned his gaze back to the man across from him, "Even you…" before it drifted to Angel, standing by Rory and Amy, "And your Mate," the Doctor tensed, hearing a threat in there instead of a statement, "He is quite... _eager_...for her to find her room," he started to grin, "She has such an _exquisite_ _fear_ , so complex, yet so simple, so powerful, and so human…"

The Doctor looked over at Angel, as did the rest of the group, but she just looked down.

"She could feed him for centuries," Joe laughed.

The Doctor frowned, the familiar sensation that Angel was hiding something from him spreading through him. He cast a glance at Joe before getting up and walking over to Angel, gently tugging her to the side just a bit, though it afforded them little privacy given all the tables around, they couldn't really move that far away.

"What's he talking about?" he whispered to her, looking her in the eye.

"I'm not sure," Angel replied, though she looked to the side.

"Angel…" he began.

"It could be anything Doctor," she defended.

He frowned, "Like _what_?"

She very _nearly_ rolled her eyes at him, "Like you dying," she pointed out, "Or Amy dying, or Rory dying…again…or any member of my family dying, or the TARDIS exploding, or Ayla turning into River, or Daleks… _anything_."

The Doctor blinked, feeling his hearts drop into his stomach. He should have _known_ what her biggest fears were, any one of them could be what was in her room. But…just the fact that she was terrified of _that many_ things when she _shouldn't_ be afraid of anything, because she should have felt safe with him there. He truly _was_ failing in his duty as a Mate in protecting her and keeping her safe…

He shook his head before she could catch his thoughts and glanced at Joe, sighing before squeezing Angel's hand once more. Fear was...tricky, fear wasn't something you could talk about and instantly be ok with, and it was NOT something to be discussed in front of everyone, ' _We'll talk later,_ ' he promised her in his mind.

Angel gave him a small nod and he turned to head back to Joe, "You said you'd seen the light now."

Joe nodded, "Nothing else matters anymore. Only _him_. It's like these things," he looked at the dummies, "I used to hate them! They make me _laugh_ now," he started laughing maniacally, "Gottle o' geer, Gottle o'geer," he chortled before laughing more, all the dummies bobbing up and down as they laughed as well, creating a very eerie setting.

Angel bit her lip before snapping her fingers, creating a golden spark between them, and all the Dummies heads fell off by the necks in a flash of gold. The group looked at her, stunned, as Joe stopped laughing, "Sorry," she mumbled, the sound was starting to rub her the wrong way.

"You should go if you want to protect your Mate," Joe whispered to the Doctor, "He'll be here soon."

The Doctor gave him a thin smile before standing and grabbing a hand dolly, sliding it under Joe's chair, "I think you should come with me."

~8~

The music was _still_ playing as they wheeled Joe into reception and set him down. The Doctor, Amy, Rory, Angel, and Rita standing on the guest side of the counter while Howie and the Tivolian stood behind it with Joe.

"Why you four?" the Doctor wondered aloud, " _That's_ what I don't understand. Aside from all the other things I don't understand," he leaned forward and switched the music off again.

"What does it matter?" the Tivolian sighed, "Sooner or later, someone will come along and rescue us. Or enslave us."

"First, we find the TARDIS. Quick thing before we go. If you feel drawn to a particular room, _do not_ go in, and make sure someone else can see you at all times."

Rita leaned forward and spoke quietly, "Joe said 'he' will feast. Is there something here with us?"

Joe laughed and the Doctor turned to him, "Something to add, Joe?"

'"Here comes a candle to light you to bed," he recited, "Here comes a chopper to chop off your head. Chop, chop, chop, chop.'"

"Can we _do_ something about him?" Howie asked them as Joe just laughed.

~8~

The Tivolian was wheeling Joe down a hall, now with his mouth taped shut, as the Doctor led the way with Angel, the rest following behind them. He paused and turned when he realized they'd changed directions and kept on.

"Personally, I think you've got the right idea," the Tivolian told Joe, "Times like this, I think of my old school motto, 'Resistance Is Exhausting.'"

"I've worked out where we are," Howie told Rory.

"Hmm?" Rory looked at him.

"Norway."

"Norway?"

"You see, the U.S. government has entire _cities_ hidden in the Norwegian mountains. Earth is on a collision course with this other planet, and _this_ is where they're going to send all the rich people when it kicks off."

"Amazing."

"It's all there on the internet."

"No, it's amazing you've come up with a theory even more insane than what's actually happening."

Just then the door to Room 158 opened and a PE teacher stepped out in front of the Doctor, "Hello," the Doctor greeted, eyeing the man tensely, not sure what he would do.

"Have you forgotten your PE kit again?" the man asked as everyone stopped to watch, "Right, that's it, you're doing it in your pants!" he turned and headed back into the room, shutting it behind him.

The Doctor frowned at that, but spun around when he heard Angel gasp...

... _Joe stood in the hall, his arms wide out, a dark shadow rushing towards him_...

... _Howie stumbled into a hall, laughing insanely as he ran towards a creature at the end of the corridor_...

... _Rita turned, grinning, throwing her head back as she let something attack her_...

Angel spun around, not even noticing the Doctor turn to her at the vision she'd just seen, to see Howie reaching for a door, "Howie no!" she ran over, trying to keep him from opening it, but it was too late.

The door was open.

Inside were a gaggle of young beautiful women around college age who laughed when they saw him standing there.

"Oh, look, girls, it's H-H-H-Howie!" one of the girls laughed, forcing a stutter.

"What's 'loser' in K-K-K-Klingon?" another girl mocked.

Howie started breathing heavily, hearing ' _Praise Him_ ' echoing in his mind.

"Howie," Angel's voice cut through the echoes and he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked over at Angel who had seemed to have appeared at his side and then backed away from the door.

"Shut the d-d...th-the door!" he stammered and the Doctor quickly moved to close it, having rushed after Angel when she'd run at Howie, "This is just some m-m-messed-up CIA stuff, I-I-I'm telling you."

"Howie," Angel put a hand on his arm, worried, especially from what she'd seen in her vision, "Calm down," she told him gently, seeing him getting worked up and frustrated, "Now...take a deep breath," he did, "Feel better?" she asked him, rubbing his arm, he looked at her, seeing genuine concern on her face, and nodded, "Good," she smiled.

The Doctor walked over and put an arm around Howie's shoulders as well, patting him on the chest and tugging him just a tiny bit, not out of Angel's hold at all, no, not at all, Angel just...wasn't touching the boy because it was HIS turn to comfort him, yes, that was it, "You're right, keep telling yourself that. It's a CIA thing, nothing more."

They walked off, back down the hall, Rory and the Doctor on either side of Howie with Angel behind him...when he heard a growling and looked back over his shoulder.

Curious, the Doctor did as well.

Angel stepped forward and took the Doctor's place next to Howie, not quite believing that Howie really felt better, "Oh and Howie?" she pulled his attention forward again, "If it helps, even though I don't know the word in Klingon, I think you're a winner."

Howie smiled a bit at that before starting to talk about Klingon and giving her a brief translation of what winner was in the language and even a bit of history on the species...the Doctor watching with a soft smile as he saw Angel listening with rapt attention, clearly knowing that having the boy talk about something he clearly liked to talk about would calm him down even more.

~8~

The Doctor had his hand on the wall, feeling the wallpaper, as Angel did the same ahead of him. He tapped the light sconces and felt the plaster where it was scrapped off of a low beam. Amy frowned, spotting notes on the floor and crouched down to pick them up. Rory paused to tie his shoe and spotted a fire exit door across the hall.

"Er...guys?" Rory called.

"Look," Amy picked up the notes...when suddenly there was a growl. Joe strained against his bonds to get to the noise while Amy looked alarmed, "Ok, whatever that is, it's not real, yeah?"

"No, no, I'm sure it isn't," the Doctor agreed, but cast a slightly panicked look at Angel, who shook her head that it was, in fact, VERY real, "But just in case, let's run away and hide anyway," he looked around and opened a random room, "In here."

The Doctor pulled Angel and Amy towards a room, shoving Howie into it with the Tivolian while Joe were pulled into another room by Rita, "No, this way!" Rory called, "I've found a..." he trailed off, seeing the fire exit had disappeared.

"Rory!" Angel called, pulling away from the Doctor to rush over to Rory, pulling him back to the room the Doctor had rushed into, having no time to stop Rita and Joe as they slammed their door shut.

~8~

Rita turned around from the door, only to see an older Indian man in a doctor's lab coat with a stethoscope around his neck standing there, holding papers, "A _B_ in mathematics?! You are _lazy_!" Rita's eyes widened as she pursed her lips and stumbled back to sit on the bed, "Do you understand me, girl? _Lazy_!"

"I'm sorry daddy, I'm so sorry!" she started to cry, hearing ' _Praise Him_ ' echoing in her mind.

~8~

Rory and Angel ran into the room, the Doctor slamming the door behind them and turned, only to come to a stop behind Amy and Howie, flinching back with a cry of "Aiiee!" at the sight of two Weeping Angels in the room before them, Amy staring them down.

"Don't...blink," Amy muttered.

"What?" Howie frowned, confused.

The lights flickered and the Tivolian cowered in the cupboard.

The angels changed position, arms stretched out, faces morphed to attack as the Doctor tried to pull Amy back, "Amy, get back. Angel!"

"Got it," Angel nodded, closing her eyes and concentrating. A moment later the Vortex energy swirled around her, creating a glow in the room, enough light to see the angels, creating a light they couldn't flicker off, letting them see the statues.

The Doctor frowned, looking at them, "Why haven't they got us yet?" he asked, stepping forward. He put a finger out and it went _through_ one of the angels, "Amy, they're not real."

"What?" Amy breathed.

"They should have got us by now," he walked back to Amy, "Amy, look at me, focus on me. It's your bad dream, that's all."

"I don't even think they're for us," Rory remarked as he glanced at the Tivolian in the cupboard, who screamed and slammed the door shut, clearly more terrified than Amy was.

"Shhh…" Angel whispered and they fell quiet, "Listen…"

They paused, hearing a growling in the distance.

The Doctor turned and headed towards the door, "Doctor, what are you doing?" Amy hissed.

"I'm sorry, I just have to see what it is," he replied, he needed to know what it was, to know what they were up against, so he could figure out how to protect Angel...and the others, "I just have to see," he walked to the door and looked through the peephole as a shadow passed before the door, "Oh, look at you...you are beautiful, not as beautiful as my Mate though," he watched as a minotaur like beast turned its head towards their door and he jumped back, "Oh, dear."

~8~

Joe struggled against his bonds, trying to get out into the hall, he could hear Him there. As he stilled the ropes loosened of their own accord and fell to the floor. He looked at his freed hands a moment before pulling the tape from his mouth and dashing for the door. He staggered out into the hallway.

~8~

The Doctor's eyes widened as he saw the creature before him turn, seeing something in the hallway, "I think he's going after Joe…" he breathed.

"Come to me…" they could hear Joe call from the hallway.

Angel jumped forward, heading to the door, when the Doctor grabbed her arm, "Where are you _going_?"

"I can help him," she turned to he Doctor.

"Come to me…" Joe pleaded.

"Help or…" he trailed off, swallowing hard, unable to help worrying this might be like with Amy-O.

" _Help_ ," she reaffirmed, "Doctor, I'm the only one who can get to him and get him out in time," they could hear stomping as the creature turned, " _Please_."

He nodded quickly, kissing her deeply, "Go," he urged her.

She nodded, "Meet in the dining room," and disappeared in a swirl of gold.

"Praise him!" Joe shouted and the Doctor ran to the door, peering through the peephole to see Angel appear behind Joe in a crackle of golden energy, grabbing the man's arm and disappearing with him just as the minotaur-like creature ran _through_ where they'd been standing and kept going.

He threw open the door and ran out, "Head to the dining room," he shouted back over his shoulder before racing after the monster.

He dashed around a corner and stopped at a four-way intersection, unsure which way to go as the monster had all but disappeared. He quickly turned, trying to look down each hall before running down one hall until he reached the staircase again. He sighed, rubbing his face, this was _just_ like the Trickster at Sarah Jane's wedding all over again.

~8~

Amy sighed once more as she paced the dining room, growing impatient. Rita and Rory were kneeling by Joe as he lay prone on the floor, Angel having reassured them he was only unconscious, that she'd knocked him out till they could help him, not wanting to risk him trying to hurt them or run out to get to that monster thing again, but it didn't stop the two nurses from checking to make sure he was ok or try to see if they could figure out why the man had been so out of sorts.

"You alright?" Angel asked, coming over to Amy as the Tivolian, who they'd learned was named Gibbis, and Howie sat at a table, both fidgeting nervously.

"The Doctor ought to have been here by now," Amy remarked, "What if he's in trouble?"

"He's not, I'd sense it."

"We should go find him," she turned to Angel, "Even if the rooms change, if he's in the hallway, eventually we should find him yeah? You could lead us to him?"

"I could," Angel admitted hesitantly, "But…I don't think I should leave this room."

"Why?"

"You see that door," she nodded at the open doors of the dining room, unbarricaded till the Doctor arrived. There was one door just outside it before the hallway turned into a corner. Well, there were a few, but ones that were labeled 'kitchen' and 'boiler room' and others, but...one actuall ROOM.

"Room 1," Amy nodded, "What about it?"

Angel took a breath, letting it out, "That's _my_ room Amy."

Amy frowned, "How do you know?" Angel gave her a pointed look, "Right, psychic," she paused a moment, thinking of something before turning to Angel, "Do you want me to go with you? Look in it?"

"I don't think that's a good idea…"

"Oh come on, aren't you a little bit curious what your worst fear is? And you won't be alone, _I'll_ be there. I'll pull you back if something happens," she laughed a bit, "Finally, _I_ get a chance to save _you_ eh."

Angel couldn't help but smile at Amy before nodding. As bad as the rooms were, as much as she knew that what was in them had likely been what had affected Joe, she also knew...the only way to overcome a fear was to face it. And she had been honest with the Doctor, she truly didn't know what her worst fear was...well...that was a half-truth, she was fairly certain what it was, but...all the others she'd mentioned...were rather big ones.

Amy grinned and turned back to Rory, "Rory!" he looked up, "Angel's gonna try to lead me to the Doctor, we'll bring him back."

Rory frowned, "What if he gets here before you found him?" Angel gave him a pointed look as well, "Right, you'd know and head back," he sighed, not really wanting them to leave without him, but looking at the room, he should probably stay there and keep an eye on the trio, he'd seen Angel casting a few glances at them and knew that there might be something...off about them. He wanted to keep an eye on them, make sure they didn't end up like Joe, "Hurry back."

"Thanks!" Amy quickly gave him a kiss on the cheek and they walked out of the dining room, Amy making sure to shut the doors behind them so Rory wouldn't see them sneaking a peek into Angel's room. They walked the few feet down the hallway and came to a stop before the door, staring at it, at the '1' etched out in the plate on it, "You ready?"

Angel just took a breath and opened the door, pushing it so it opened all the way, allowing them to both see into the room without entering.

Amy's eyes widened…

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...I'm evil, I know, -shakes fist- cliffhangers! Lol ^-^ But fluff! There was fluff! ;)


	37. The God Complex: Angel's Room

The room...it didn't look anything like what Amy had imagined would be behind the door, it didn't look like what she'd glimpsed in Howie's room, like...a bedroom with something in it. Which almost made sense, Joe had said Angel's fear was more powerful, more complex, it made sense that it wasn't just a single thing she feared, like Daleks or PE teachers or things...no...what Amy saw...was an entire scene playing out.

Inside the room, that actually looked like the console room of the TARDIS, was Angel and the Doctor, both dashing around the controls, piloting the box somewhere Amy didn't know.

"Hold her steady!" the Doctor shouted to Angel before rushing down the stairs and to the doors and, in a scene very similar to when Amy had first met River Song, he threw them open and held out a hand...pulling the woman in question into the box, with River landing on top of him, exactly like before the _Byzantium_.

For a moment Amy even thought it _was_ just a memory playing out...but then she noticed a few very important details.

River, for one, wasn't wearing what she had during that adventure, but more of a pair of dark green pants tucked into black boots, a white long sleeved shirt with a dark green vest over it, an outfit that resembled a horseback riding uniform of some sort. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail, only a few curls hanging out of it. And then there was the Doctor...one of his arms was wound around River's waist from the fall, the other reaching up to brush one of the stray locks behind her ears and Amy saw it...

The Doctor was wearing the Dampening Bracelet on his wrist.

Amy started to shake her head as she watched the duo both laugh, seeming _far_ too comfortable in their current position, with River on top of him and his arms around her. The Doctor helped River up...and then pulled her into a deep kiss.

Amy gasped, her mouth dropping open as she watched the two continue to kiss with poor Angel watching from the console, a frown and utterly defeated expression on her face.

They pulled away, River smirking as she looked into his eyes, though Amy saw her gaze flicker to Angel a moment before that. Clearly the woman had seen her expression too and was all too happy about it.

"You're all dirty," the Doctor remarked, eyeing River's clothes, her body in general, appraisingly, "You're going to get mud everywhere."

River laughed, "Well then…" she leaned in to give him a peck that made Amy flinch to see, "I ought to get changed eh? Not sure what to wear though," she stepped back, not letting go of his hand till she was too far away to hold it any longer, "Might need you to… _help_."

The saucy grin River gave him told Amy she was _not_ just talking about picking out another outfit at all.

"The one word I can _never_ refuse," he whispered to her, his voice deep.

River laughed and turned, dashing up the stairs, past the console where Angel had her eyes firmly down on the controls, and out the room. The Doctor watched her go a moment with a soft, adoring look, before heading up the stairs, ready to follow her...only to pause just as he passed Angel who flinched.

Amy frowned, wondering what had happened when the Doctor sighed and looked over at her, "Angel…"

"Sorry," Angel whispered, "Didn't mean for that to slip through…"

Amy realized, Angel must have thought or felt something loud enough for the Doctor to pick up on just through the Time Lord bonds. She knew that Time Lords were mildly telepathic, that they _could_ read each other's minds at times, in dire situations...Angel had mentioned something about a Master person forcing the Doctor to hear some drumbeat or something once. She knew the point of the Mating wasn't just to hear the other person's thoughts but to develop a complete and direct connection to another's mind, one that never faded, that was always there, that made communication and sharing easier. Whatever Angel had thought, had made it through to the Doctor just in terms of Time Lord to Time Lord and not Mate to Mate.

The Doctor rubbed his head, "I don't know how many times we've been _over_ this…" he looked at her, his eyes pitying, his expression nearly exasperated, "You _were_ my Mate, yeah, but River…River's my _future_."

Amy blinked repeatedly at that, starting to shake her head slowly again, completely disbelieving of what she was hearing and seeing play out before her. She didn't know if this was a Doctor who knew Angel was his Mate but didn't remember her or...or one who remembered but just...didn't care. Given how he'd spoken just then, she got the impression it was one who remembered...

Before the Angel in the room could even reply...River's voice echoed into the room, "Sweetie I _need_ you!"

The Doctor just laughed, an eager smile blooming on his face, before turning and heading out of the console room, up the stairs.

Angel watched him go sadly before moving to pick up a tool to work on the console.

Amy watched, frowning as the scene continued, not stopping or repeating or anything so she figured there must be _more_ to it. And her thoughts were confirmed when she blinked...and Angel was in a different spot, some things moved here and there, a time skip or something probably.

She winced when she saw Angel grow distant and a spark shoot up from the console, forcing Angel to snap her hand back with a hiss of pain, "Sorry," Angel rubbed her hand, "Didn't need to hear that either...did you girl?" there was another spark and Angel sighed, looking so...agonized by that, "You too eh?"

She looked so sad that Amy could almost feel tears in her own eyes. It appeared, in this fear, even _the TARDIS_ seemed to have gained a soft spot for River, sparking when Angel touched her in defense of River much like the box did now in the reverse.

There was a sound of footsteps and then River entered the room, her hair loose and disheveled, wearing a black, floor length dressing gown that reminded Amy of the dress she'd met River in. It was slightly rumpled though, and she could see River's skin glistening with the minutest amounts of sweat and she nearly gagged, realizing where River had just come from and what the woman had been doing with the Doctor. She did NOT need that image of her daughter and the Doctor in her head AT ALL.

"Ah, Angel," River smirked.

Angel swallowed hard, "Hello River."

"Is the TARDIS giving you problems again?"

Angel was silent a moment before slowly putting down the tool she'd been working with and looking at River, "Why are you doing this to me?" she breathed, her voice just...hollow, so empty that it broke Amy's heart to hear. Clearly...River had done something, said something, or implied something that kept Angel there, that kept her from leaving, she just...didn't know what...

River's smirk grew, "I can't kill you because, if you died and, God forbid, the Doctor ever took off the bracelet, _he'd_ die. So…I just have to kill you in other ways, don't I? I _am_ a psychopath after all. But answering your questions isn't why I came here," Angel looked at her, wary, as though knowing what was coming wouldn't be good for her at all, "I wanted to know...if you'd like to be the godmother?" and with that, she put her hand on her stomach, still flat but with the smallest hint of a...bump.

The heartbreak on Angel's face was one that Amy as sure would haunt her for the _rest of her life_.

"Oh dear," River sighed, mock sadly, "I can see the news has overwhelmed you. Take some time dear, we've got quite a while to go before the little one arrives," and then the smirk was back, "Come along Ayla!"

Amy didn't think she could take much more of it when a little girl that looked like the spitting image of Angel ran up the stairs from where she'd been playing under the console and...went straight to _River's_ side, hugging her round the middle with a cry of "Mummy!"

Amy swallowed hard, well that explained why Angel was still there, she wouldn't EVER leave her daughter alone, she'd be there to protect her, in a way River couldn't. And _that_ was terrible, using someone's child as a way to control them. Because she could _see_ it in the way River hugged Ayla back, that there was no love for the girl, no genuine love, only...usefulness...like Ayla was a pawn, and the little girl didn't even seem to realize it.

River shot a smirk, a victorious and vicious smirk, at Angel before taking Ayla's hand and walking out of the room...

Amy shook her head and dashed forward, slamming the door shut, feeling tears in her eyes threatening to spill, and she couldn't _imagine_ the pain and fear that the room must have inspired in Angel. She looked at the woman, shock now on her face as she saw she didn't seem scared or even angry…but _resigned_.

"Angel…" she began.

Angel just shook her head, "The future's always changing Amy," she said quietly, her voice thick with emotion, "For all I know…that _could_ be a possible future."

"It _can't_ be," Amy shook her head, "It's wrong, it's…it's _impossible_ ," her mind raced as she tried to come up with anything, everything that was wrong about that, to prove to Angel how impossible it was, "The TARDIS _loves_ you. The _Doctor_ loves YOU. He…he would _never_ wear that bracelet thing. Ever. And… _you're_ Alya's mum. Nothing will _ever_ change that. And River _can't_ be pregnant, Rory told me about Time Lords and other species and…and procreation, ugh," she grimaced at the thought of alien procreation, "And…it's impossible. And…"

"I wouldn't put it past River to figure out some way to make that work," Angel murmured, a sad note in her voice, "Especially if she's as bloody minded, contradictory, and completely unpredictable as her mum," she gave Amy a small smile, showing her to be joking if only slightly. Amy opened her mouth to say something more, _needing_ Angel to realize how impossible her fear was, when Angel looked over at the corner, "Come on, we should head back in, the Doctor's on his way."

"Angel," Amy called as Angel turned away.

"Don't tell him Amy," Angel whispered, "Please…he has too much on his plate right now," she looked back at her, " _Please_."

Amy looked at her a long while before swallowing and nodded, "Ok."

But even as she said it, even as she agreed, she swore to herself...she wouldn't say _right now_...that didn't mean she wouldn't talk about it in the future. She knew that she might be overstepping her boundaries, that fear was personal and that wasn't HER fear to share but...she would _have_ to talk to the Doctor about it if Angel didn't. She just...she wanted her friend to be happy again, to not be scared, especially after everything that had happened to her. It had probably been a very bad move to suggest Angel peek into her room, confront her fears but...she'd just wanted to help, she'd wanted to be able to help her, to be the one that could 'save' Angel too. She just...wanted to be there for her friend and be a support and just...help her.

But, seeing that...she realized now it had been a mistake. No matter how much she tried to get Angel to realize it was impossible, that it could never happen...it didn't matter. Because it was a _fear_. Fear didn't have to be rational, it didn't have to make sense, it didn't even have to be possible, all it had to do was...scare you. Her aunt was, for some reason unknown to her, terrified of being trampled by a camel while stuck in a lift...in Alaska. She didn't bother to ask why a camel would be in a lift...or in Alaska (it was really weird how specific that was) but it was proof enough that fears could be impossible (or very VERY unlikely). And knowing what Angel's worst fear was...she knew that the Doctor was the only one who would be able to convince her that fear wasn't ever going to happen.

River was never ever going to take everything that mattered to Angel from her, the TARDIS wouldn't let it happen, neither would the Doctor, and neither would she and Rory, no matter if River was their daughter or not (she was still trying to come to terms with that).

Angel smiled at her, reaching out to take her hand a moment, squeezing it, "Thanks," before she let it go and headed to the dining room, offering Rory a small, weary smile as he looked up at their appearance, frowning in concern at her.

Rory glanced at Amy, but the ginger girl could only shake her head.

~8~

The Doctor knelt beside Joe's prone form, lying on a small dais, the dummies set up against the wall behind him. Angel had apparently managed to knock Joe out so he wouldn't be trying to get to whatever creature it was that was hunting them. He flashed the sonic over him, scanning him, trying to see exactly _what_ was wrong with him, what had happened to the man to make him like he was. Was it an infection? Mind control? Something else?

Howie rolled one of the tables behind him as Rory followed with a chair, "If we can wedge a chair under the door handles, that should stop anything from getting in," Howie remarked.

Rita walked into the room with a tray of tea, holding it up to Angel and Amy as they sat on the bar, Amy with her arm linked through Angel's, trying to be a comfort to her. They didn't know what affect the rooms might have on people, if it had been what caused Joe to lose it, so she was worried about Angel (and feeling very guilty that she had gotten Angel to look at her room) but...she seemed ok for now. Maybe Time Lords were just stronger? She didn't know but she was going to keep an eye on Angel, help her if she needed it.

"Help yourself to tea," Rita held the tray out to them, Angel took the tea with a smile but Amy waved it off, the ginger staring intently at Gibbis. Rita nodded and moved towards Howie and Rory, "Guys, tea over here."

Angel took a sip of tea, smiling a bit at the warmth of it, before she patted Amy's knee and hopped down, heading over to the Doctor. Amy was silent a moment longer, watching Angel go till she saw the Doctor turn and take her hand, letting her sit beside him as he examined Joe, before she looked at Gibbis and spoke, "If it's any consolation, I've met the Weeping Angels, so I know how..." she cut herself off, "In fact, I thought that room was for me."

"Joe was right," Gibbis sighed, "Whatever it is in here, it actually wants to _kill_ us. Not oppress us or enslave us, _kill us_!"

Amy got down and walked over to join him at the table, "Ok, listen...the Doctor's been part of my life for so long now, him and Angel, and they've _never_ let me down. Even when I thought he had, when I was a kid and he left me, he came back, he...saved me, they _both_ did, in ways I didn't even realize..." she trailed off, shaking her head, "And now he's going to save you," she paused, "And…if he can't, Angel will. I've seen her do...incredible things," she smiled a bit, "Miraculous things, save people beyond saving, she's incredible, her and the Doctor both. But…don't tell _him_ I said that, because the smugness would be terrifying," she joked, getting up, knowing Angel would wave it off modestly while the Doctor basked in the glory of the compliment.

"Of course," Gibbis called as she walked off, "If the Weeping Angels were meant for _me_ , then _your_ room is still out there...somewhere," he gave her a small smirk and turned back to the table.

Amy turned away and looked at the Doctor and Angel as they quietly talked by Joe...nearly jumping out of her skin when Rory appeared beside her, "Every time the Doctor gets pally with someone, I have this overwhelming urge to notify their next of kin," Rory remarked as Rita walked over to them with tea for the Doctor, Angel oh...for _her_ he always wanted to call the 'next of kin' and suggest they bake her brownies in thanks or something for keeping their family safe. Amy laughed and Rory flinched a moment, earning a curious look from her, "Sorry. The last time I said something like that, you hit me with your shoe. And you literally had to sit down and unlace it first," Amy just shook her head and watched, linking her arm with Rory's as she rested her head on his shoulder.

Angel set her teacup down as she finished her drink and moved closer to Joe, pulling a small tablecloth up to his chest like a blanket, making sure he was warm, before sitting on the edge of the dais, glancing at the Doctor to see he'd been watching her with a soft...adoring look...one that was so similar to the one she'd seen on his face as he'd looked at River in her room that she had to turn away a moment.

"What exactly happened to him?" Rita asked before the Doctor could notice the action, "To make him act like that?"

The Doctor sighed, taking a cup, "No idea."

"You _are_ a medical doctor, aren't you?" Rita eyed him, "You haven't just got a degree in cheese-making or something."

"No!"

"Liar," Angel whispered with a small laugh.

He sighed, "Well, yes, _both_ actually. I mean, there is no cause for him to have gotten _that_ zonked, but I'll tell you what, psychologically all his loves and hates, his faiths and fears were just..." he sniffed the cup, "Warped, and this is a cup of _tea_!"

"Of course, I'm British, it's how we cope with trauma," Rita smiled, "That and tutting."

"But how did you _make_ it?" he smiled at her, mildly impressed.

"All hotels should have a well stocked kitchen, even alien fake ones," they looked at her, "I heard you talking when you arrived. Look, it's no more ridiculous than Howie's CIA theory or mi...or mine."

Angel reached out from where she was still sitting, and took her hand in comfort, "What's your theory Rita?"

"This is Jahannam."

"You're a Muslim!" the Doctor exclaimed.

"Don't be frightened," she laughed.

He laughed as well, "Ha! You think this is Hell?" he took a sip and spit the tea back into the cup as Angel shook her head at him for it, ' _What?_ ' he asked her quietly, catching her look.

' _Must you always do that?_ ' she asked him, nodding at the cup.

' _Can't help it if it's not as good as your tea,_ ' he grinned at her as she blushed just a bit.

' _Jackie taught me how to make it,_ ' she reminded him.

' _Well..._ ' he conceded, ' _She always could make a good old cuppa._ '

"The whole '80s hotel thing took me by surprise, though," Rita continued, not noticing their silent conversion.

The Doctor stood up and held out a hand, helping Angel up as they looked at the others milling around, "And all these fears and phobias wandering about, most are completely unconnected to us, so why are they still here?"

"Maybe the cleaners have gone on strike?" Rita suggested.

"Ha!" he laughed again, "I like you, you're a right clever clogs."

"This isn't Hell, Rita," Angel assured her, her tone making the Doctor stiffen to hear.

He didn't even need to read her mind to know where it had gone. He squeezed her hand tightly at that, knowing that she actually considered that time in her life as...hell. And that killed him to know, her life should have been just...heavenly. It...it made him worried because Idris...that rhyme she'd used to warn them of where Angel was, 'Angels fall and lose it all,' the part that always got him was the 'Angels fall' part. He knew it wasn't literally takling about Angel, HIS Angel, but...it had come from Idris and given everything that happened, what Angel had felt earlier...it just made him concerned. He...he felt like her 'fall' had already happened, at Demons Run, she had lost everything, he had too, Ayla was their everything, and he could only hope that he'd be able to help her up and to rise above it.

And that, IF there ever was a next time (which there better not be) he would be there to catch her BEFORE she fell.

"You don't understand," Rita looked at her, "I say that _without_ fear. Jahannam will play its tricks, and there'll be times when I want to run and scream, but I've tried to live a good life, and that knowledge keeps me sane, despite the monsters and the bonkers rooms. Gibbis..." she gestured at him as the Doctor gargled with his tea, Angel shaking her head at him, "...is...is an alien, isn't he?"

"Yeah," the Doctor nodded, "Sorry."

"Ok..." Rita nodded, taking a breath, "I'm going to file that under 'Freak out about later.'"

Angel looked at her a moment, feeling almost like she was handling this...too well. To be here...surrounded by fear and NOT be afraid...she knew even the Doctor was afraid, even if he didn't show it. And the way she was so...calm. And then her vision...she was worried about Rita.

"Doctor," Amy called, pulling papers out of her pocket, "Look at this. I found it in a corridor, I completely forgot I had it," she handed the notes to the Doctor and he tapped her on the head with them before leaning on a table, looking at the notes. Amy sat down next to Rory as Howie sat at Gibbis's table, rearranging the silverware.

"Er..." the Doctor began to read the notes aloud, "'My name is Lucy Hayward and I'm the last one left. It took Luke first. It got him on his first day, almost as soon as we arrived. It's funny. You don't know what's going to be in your room until you see it, then you realize it could never have been anything else. I just saw mine. It was a gorilla from a book I'd read as a kid. My God, that thing used to _terrify_ me. The gaps between my worships are getting shorter, like contractions. This is what happened to the others and..." he frowned, seeing a change in the tone of the note, "How _lucky_ they were. It's all so clear now. I'm so happy…'"

Angel winced, pressing a hand to her head as a pain shot through it...

... _a young woman in a police woman's uniform stumbled through the halls of the hotel_...

'... _Praise him_...'

... _the young woman looked over, standing at the sight of something at the end of the hall, dropping her notes_...

Angel gasped silently and stared at the notes, before flinching, rubbing her head, it hurt...it hurt a lot but...that woman, the notes...that had been _Lucy_! She...she might have just...seen the past...and it HURT! God did it hurt! This was JUST like when she'd been in the hospital with Martha and heard 'burn with me' and then heard it again on that ship with the killer star...it had hurt terribly then but...had been a sign of her powers getting stronger, her visions strengthening. She'd always been able to see the future but now...had she _really_ just seen the past or was it some sort of psychic echo from the fear that had been generated in Lucy's room and still lingered even now? She could practically feel it, all the fear that the others who had been taken to the hotel had felt...it was _everywhere_...

"Praise him," both the Doctor read and Howie stated at once.

"What did you just say?" the Doctor looked at Howie, alarmed.

"Nothing!" Howie jumped up, startled and scared as he realized what he'd said, the same thing Joe kept saying, trying to fight it, "Praise him!" he shouted before clapping his hand over his mouth.

"This is what happened to Joe!" Gibbis cried.

~8~

The minotaur-like beast walked down the hallway, stopping short, as though sensing something...

~8~

Everyone started to talk at once, but none more than poor Howie, "God, it's going to come for _me_ now!" Howie freaked out.

"You'll lead it right here!" Gibbis hissed.

"Howie, Howie, it'll be ok," Angel walked over to Howie, putting an arm around him, "We're going to stop it, we'll stay here with you, we can help."

The Doctor nodded, "I promise, you have my word."

"I don't want to get eaten!" Howie started shaking.

"Howie, calm down!" Amy tried.

"He's going to lead it right here!" Gibbis repeated.

The Doctor held up the sonic over his head and activated it causing a high-pitched noise that made everyone stop and put their hands over their ears save him and Angel, "Thank you!" he called, getting them all to shut up.

"Don't you see?" Gibbis tried to explain again, "He'll lead it right here!"

"What do you suggest?" Rita asked, glaring at the Tivolian a bit.

"Look, whatever it is out there, it's obviously chosen Howard as its next course. Now...tragic though that is, this is no time for sentiment. I'm saying, if it were to...find him, it may be satisfied and let the rest of us go. All I want to do is go home and be conquered and oppressed, is that too much to ask?!" he plopped back down at the table.

"It's ok, I'll stay with Howie," Rita turned to the group, "You take the others and go."

Angel frowned...glancing at Rita a moment unable to help a pit from forming in her stomach at that. Rita...she hadn't sounded like she was doing it to protect them but...like she wanted to be there with Howie...when the beast came. And that didn't sit right with her at all.

"No," the Doctor shook his head, "We stay together," he walked over to Gibbis and leaned over, whispering to him quietly, "Your civilization is one of the _oldest_ in the galaxy. Now I see why. Your cowardice isn't quaint, it's _sly_ , aggressive. It's how that gene of gutlessness has survived while so many others have perished. Well, not today. _No one_ is going to die today. Right?"

"Yes," Gibbis mouthed.

"Brilliant," the Doctor agreed before backing up and walking over to Angel and Howie. He nodded at Angel, who led the boy towards the table, "Howie, any second, it's going to possess you again. When it does, I'm going to ask you some questions. Please try to answer them."

Howie nodded as they all sat at the table, Angel beside him to keep him restrained and calm should he try and run while the rest sat across from him, "I hope my mum's alright, she's going to be w-worried," he muttered before his eyes glazed a bit.

"Howie...Howie?" the Doctor called, seeing Howie become more dazed and start to smile and tried his hardest not to think about how his Mate was sitting right beside the possessed boy. But he knew better than to ask her to move, whatever was happening to Howie was happening because he was scared, and Angel didn't like it when children (for really, that was practically everyone compared to them) were scared, he didn't either. So he settled for watching Howie closely, "Howie, you're next, we're all dead jealous, so tell us...how do we get a piece of the action? Why isn't he possessing _all_ of us?"

Amy swallowed hard and glanced at Angel at that, piecing it together now. Joe had told them to find their rooms, clearly the rooms were what made them go completely mental. Howie had seen his room before Angel had...and now she was terrified that Angel would end up the same way...and that completely scared her, she...she didn't want to lose Angel, and if she did it would be ALL her fault. God how stupid had she been?! She could only pray that Time Lords were stronger than others, that Angel wouldn't be as affected (or affected at all preferably).

"You guys have got all these...distractions," Howie tapped his head with a grin, "All these obstacles. It'd be so much easier if you just let it go, you know, clear the path."

"You _want_ it to find you?" Amy frowned, "Even though you _know_ what it's going to do?"

"Are you kidding? He's going to kill us all! How cool is that?!" he started to laugh.

The Doctor glanced at Angel, nodding back as she returned it, getting up to walk with him and the others away from the table, leaving Howie sitting there but within eyesight, "It's as I thought, it feeds on fear," the Doctor sighed.

Amy shifted uncomfortably at that. Joe had also said that Angel's fear could feed it for centuries...seriously, _what_ was _the matter_ with her?! She'd been so desperate to try and help Angel like the girl always helped her that she might have just made whatever it was that was after them stronger. God she hoped not...it...Angel's reaction to her room...it _hadn't_ been like Howie's had been or Gibbis...she hadn't been terrified but...resigned. So...maybe there was hope? Well, she hoped there was at least.

"Everything, the rooms, Lucy's note, even the pictures in reception, has been put here to frighten us. So we have to resist it. Do whatever you have to, cross your fingers, say a prayer, think of a basket of kittens, kiss Angel...no!" he pointed at all of them, a hard look on his face, "NO kissing _my Mate_!" he glared at them a moment, "Only _I_ kiss my Mate," before smiling again, certain that had gotten through to them, "But, whatever you do, do _not_ give in to the fear."

"Ok, but what are we actually going to do?" Amy asked.

"We're going to catch ourselves a monster," he grinned.

Angel groaned, "You _had_ to ask Amy?" she asked, half-joking.

"Come on dear," the Doctor took her hand gently, "Time to put on a show," he whispered, kissing her hand before tugging her slightly, spinning her around once before leading her off as the Ponds shook their heads and followed, Rita and Gibbis exchanging a look before going after them.

~8~

"Bring me death!" Howie shouted, "Bring me glory! My master, my lord, I'm here! Come to me. I'm waiting here...for _you_. He has promised me a glorious death..."

The Doctor glanced at Angel as they lined up mirrors around the beauty parlor, both listening to Howie's cries over a speaker. He wasn't exactly happy that Angel was there, that she was about to be trapped in a room with him and a monster that could easily kill them both but she had cut him off before he could even voice his thoughts on it. She'd literally just put her finger on his lips and simply said 'no,' before grabbing a mirror and heading towards the parlor. He knew it actually had nothing to do with her abilities...she just knew him.

He was honestly torn between being relieved she was beside him, where he could protect her, and NOT out in the halls where he'd have to rely on Rory or Amy or the others to protect her, and still being terrified she was there, despite knowing the Vortex would help protect her. Not that the Vortex would be needed, HE would protect his Mate, he would protect her from everything.

~8~

The beast was walking down the halls as Rory waited on baited breath in the hall, pressed against the wall outside the parlor's back entrance with a mop, hoping Amy and Rita were alright from where they'd hid in one of the rooms as the beast passed.

~8~

"Give it to me now, I want him to know my devotion!"

Amy frowned as she listened to Howie, before she and Rita glanced back at the clown-man sitting on the edge of the bed with a red balloon, staring at them.

"Anything to do with you?" Rita asked her quietly. She shook her head and Rita turned to the clown, "How's it going?"

"Don't talk to the clown!" Amy hissed as the beast's shadow passed in front of the door.

"Praise...him!" Howie breathed.

~8~

The beast's horns scrapped the low beam, the cause of the marks the Doctor had found earlier, as it headed for the parlor where the voice was coming from, "Praise...him..."

~8~

Amy and Rita dashed out of their room, hearing the beast enter the parlor, and shut the door behind it, Amy yanking a rail off the wall and jamming it though the handles, "Rory, he's in!" she shouted.

~8~

Rory jumped around the corner and shoved the mop through the handles on the back door, locking the beast in the room...and REALLY hoping the Doctor had an actual plan this time since his Mate was involved...

~8~

The Doctor shut the lights off as he and Angel watched quietly as the beast knocked into things in the dark.

"Let his name...be the last thing I hear," Howie's voice continued to call, "Let his breath on my skin be the last thing I feel…" the beast turned a chair around to reveal a speaker system before spinning to see himself in the mirrors, "I was lost in shadows, but he found me."

~8~

Howie was, in all actuality, sitting behind the desk in reception, duck taped to the chair while Gibbis watched him, speaking into the sonic the Doctor had rigged up to act as a microphone, "His love was a beacon that led me from darkness to light, and now I am blinded by his majesty! Humbled by his glory! Praise..."

~8~

The Doctor stood by the speaker on the wall, "That's quite enough of that."

"…him," Howie finished as the Doctor pulled the wires out, cutting the connection.

~8~

Howie snapped out of his mutterings at the sound of the feedback, "What's going on?" he looked around, spotting Gibbis behind him by the door, "You _lied_ to me!"

"Calm down, Howie. This is for your own good."

"At least stand where I can see you!"

"I've been told not to speak to you."

"Don't mean you can't listen."

~8~

The Doctor took a breath, taking Angel's hand tightly in his, squeezing it a moment for strength, letting his thumb trail over her knuckles, the smooth skin calming him, reassuring him. He faced the Beast from a separate area, using the mirrors to see the creature while also creating a number of him and Angel to distract the beast in the process, not about to risk it targetting the real Angel...or him, "Nothing personal," he called, "We just think we should take things slowly. Get to know each other. You take people's most primal fears and pop it in a room. A tailor-made hell, just for them," he squeezed Angel's hand, feeling her thoughts dim a little at the mention of the rooms and hell, adding that the the list of things he needed to talk to her about when they weren't about to be killed by a minotaur-thing, "Why?" he frowned, listening to the creature growling, "Did you say ' _they_ ' take? Ahh, what is that word?"

"The...guard?" Angel frowned, interpreting the word as best she could, she hadn't been the greatest in alien languages in the Academy. But...it wasn't just that...she was getting a strange, horrible feeling about the creature as well, like...it was just...so tired, "No, um," she looked at the Doctor, "The...warden?"

The Doctor's eyes widened, THAT was the word, it was hard to make out in the glutteral tone the beast was using, "This is a prison?"

~8~

"You were right, you know," Howie told Gibbis, sounding calmer than before, eerily calmer, "Chances are if you hand me over, he'll leave you alone."

"Yes, well," Gibbis stuttered, "We saw how that idea got shot down in flames."

"It's not like chucking me out of a plane to lighten the load. I'm _asking_ you for this. I'm _begging_ you."

"You're possessed. You'd say anything."

"Possessed guys can be quite...strong. Who's to say I didn't overpower you?"

Gibbis eyed him a moment...that was true...

~8~

"So, what are we?" the Doctor watched the beast, "Cell mates? Lunch?"

"We're not...ripe?" Angel looked at the Doctor, worried, "Wasn't that what Joe said, that everyone was still raw?"

The Doctor stepped out, closer to the beast, but still partially hidden behind a water feature, making sure to keep Angel more behind him, "So, what? You make us ready? You...what?"

"Replace?" Angel whispered, tilting her head, not quite sure if that was the right word, watching intently as the beast came closer to the water feature, looking at them through it, but not making a move to attack them actually.

"Replace what? Fear?"

Angel gasped a little bit, feeling a...pain...strike her. She reached out, putting a hand on the water feature, "You're so old that you can't even remember your name..." she breathed, watching as the beast reached out...placing its own hand on the other side of the glass, the Doctor stiffening as he watched, not sure what the beast would do next, "I'm so sorry," seh whispered, before she looked at the Doctor, tears in her eyes, "He just wants it to _stop_."

The Doctor looked at the beast closely, listening with a frown as it let out more of a pained whine than a growl, "Because you are just...instinct," he nodded, understanding, and reached out to place his hand on Angel's, reaching out to the beast to try and comfort it as well, "Then tell me. Tell us, tell us how to fight you."

"Howie!" Angel gasped suddenly, her eyes wide as she spun around, pulling her hand away from the glass moments before…

"My master, my lord!" Howie's voice echoed from the hall.

~8~

Rory spun around, hearing Howie, "I'm here!"

~8~

Rita and Amy exchanged a look at the shout, "That's Howie," Rita breathed.

"He's got out," Amy realized.

~8~

Howie stumbled up the stairwell, "Bring me death!"

~8~

"No, no, no, no!" the Doctor shouted as the beast swung at the water feature, shattering the glass. The Doctor jumped back, pulling Angel with him, keeping her away from the shower of water and shards that flew at them.

"Rory, watch out!" Angel cried as the beast turned and ran for the back door...before she disappeared right out of the Doctor's arms in a swirl of gold.

"Angel!" the Doctor yelled as Amy and Rita opened the door behind him, "Stay back!" he called to them as the beast shattered the glass pane that made up the door by Rory, shoving past him and running down the hall, "Pond, bring the fish!" he called as he ran to the door.

"What?" she frowned, "The fish?"

"Angel said it!" he shouted, recalling something she had muttered as they set up the room, that the fish belonged with a pond. He'd thought she'd meant to say 'in a pond,' considering maybe it was a bit of her 9th self peeking out there, but she really HAD been saying 'with' a pond.

Amy looked over to see a small bowl with goldfish in it, "Oh, the fish!"

The Doctor just bolted out the door to see Rory lying on the floor and knelt down, shaking him slightly, "Where did he go?" he could only guess that Angel had gone after Howie…but so had _the beast_ and now it would be a race of who could get there first.

"Somebody hit me," Rory mumbled, looking around blearily, "Was it Amy?"

The Doctor just chuckled, patting Rory's shoulder a moment, before he just raced off to the stairwell. He ran down it and through the halls till he came upon Howie's glasses on the floor. He paused, picking them up but looking around again, he saw no sign of Howie being there…

' _Angel?_ ' he called, holding his breath as he waited for her reply.

' _I've got him,_ ' she replied a moment later, ' _Back in the dining room. He's asleep, like Joe._ '

He nodded and dashed back down the hall, feeling a rather strong desire to get back to her, grab her, hold her, never let her go...and then kiss her thoroughly and tell her to never scare him again...though he knew it wouldn't really be fair, he had to have terrified her numerous times with his little stunts over the years.

And...it was...good. It was actually very good, that she had reacted like that, so instantly. It was like a little more of her original self for this incarnation coming back a bit. She'd started so confident and in control and sure of herself and determined...to see her react and be so...in control of herself doing it...it gave him hope that, maybe, just maybe, she was starting to heal.

And that was all he wanted.

~8~

Amy and Rita knelt by Rory, "Rory, are you alright?" Rita asked as she checked him over, Rory just nodded, wincing.

"We should find the Doctor...and...Angel," Amy murmured, staring off a bit as she stepped over Rory and towards a door, Room 7. She walked slowly towards it and turned the knob, looking inside as the words 'Praise Him' echoed in her mind...

Suddenly Rita was in front of her, shutting the door, blocking the way, "You shouldn't have done that. What did you see?"

Amy blinked and shook her head, "Nothing. Nothing. I...don't know, it was weird."

"Come on," she tugged Amy back to Rory, who was rubbing his head as he pushed himself up, not having seen Amy's door or the girl look into it.

"So…dining room?" Rory asked them.

Rita frowned, "But the Doctor ran off…" she vaguely pointed down the opposite hall.

He nodded, "But knowing my Pilot she's already found Howie and gotten him back to the dining room with Joe," where else would she have gone?

Amy sighed, "And anyway, we'd need her to find the Doctor in this maze."

Rita just nodded, not really following but going with them back to the dining room.

~8~

Rita, Amy, and Rory stepped into the dining room to see the Doctor was already there, kneeling by the dais, sonicing Howie as Angel stood beside him, watching in concern. He looked at the results before putting the glasses he'd scooped up onto the boy's face and getting up, letting Angel pull another table cloth over Howie's torso to keep him warm and comforted. His gaze travelled past the trio to Gibbis, who had appeared behind him.

"He got free," Gibbis muttered, seeing them all looking at him, he hadn't expected them to be there, he'd been about to go try to wake up Joe so the man could run amok and distract the beast more, "He overpowered me."

Angel frowned and looked at the Doctor, reaching out to take his hand from where she was still sitting on the dais, "He's lying," she whispered to him.

He sighed, "I know," he looked down at her and moved to kneel before her, "Will you keep an eye on them?" he whispered, "I want to try and find the TARDIS and..." he glanced at Gibbis, "I don't trust him with the Ponds."

Angel swallowed, biting her lip, not liking the thought of him wandering around without her there to help him, to help keep him from his room, but nodded, "Ok."

He smiled, reaching up to touch her cheek with a finger, before leaning in and kissing her forehead, and then her lips, before he stood and strode out of the room, casting a look at the Ponds as he passed, trusting them to protect Angel while he was away. They should be fairly safe in the dining room, the doors were still partially barricaded and...he got the feeling the beast could only locate its victims when they were conscious to 'praise him' and the two infected men were clearly not awake.

~8~

Rory found the Doctor leaning against the railing of the stairwell on the same floor they'd left the TARDIS. He'd offered to find the man, claiming that he would be the safest as he hadn't felt any sort of pull to any room and really...he kept seeing exits everywhere for some reason, but when he looked again they were always gone. Angel had agreed, told him to be careful, but that she trusted him. So he'd gone out there, being careful, and searched for the Doctor. He'd decided to try that floor and, as luck would have it, there was the Doctor, seeming like he was just thinking, looking at the photos on the walls. Probably thinking about how close Joe and Howie had gotten to being among the many portrayed.

"Have you found your room yet?" he asked Rory suddenly.

"No, no. Is that good or bad?"

"Maybe you're not scared of anything."

"Well, after all the time I spent with you in the TARDIS and with Angel protecting us all, what was left to be scared of?"

The Doctor paused and looked at him a moment, "You said that in the past tense."

"No, I didn't," he frowned. The Doctor just leaned back against the rail as Rory leaned against the small desk before the photos to face the Time Lord, "You know, according to Angel Howie's been in speech therapy. He'd just got over this _massive_ stammer. What an achievement. I mean, can you imagine? I'd forgotten...not all victories are about saving the Universe."

~8~

The Doctor stood at the stairwell a short while later, having gone up and down the stairs, trying to find the TARDIS. But paused when he saw Amy place the fish on a small table at the base of the stairs before heading off again as Rita passed. She started up the stairs as he headed down, about to go as Angel if she might be able to help him sense where the TARDIS was. It seemed calm enough at the moment, and Angel should be able to sense if the beast was coming, so...it was maybe safe enough for them to search some more.

"Rita!" he called, "Brilliant! How are you? Not panicking, are you? Good, good. Because I am literally an otter's _toenail_ away from getting us out of here."

"Why?"

"Excellent question," he passed her with a smile, "Excellent question," before turning back, "Why what?"

"Why is it up to _you_ to save us? That's quite a God complex you have there."

"Well I do have an angel with me you know," he joked, before he sighed, thinking of his Mate and their companions, "I brought them here. They'd say it was their choice, but...offer a child a suitcase full of sweets and they'll take it. Offer someone all of time and space and they'll take that too. Which is why you shouldn't. Which is why grown-ups were invented," he turned away.

"All of time and space, eh?"

He swung back around, "Oh, yeah. And when we get out of this, I'll show you, too."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Rita laughed, "But I have a feeling you just did it again."

The Doctor smiled and looked to his side, about to look back down the stairs...when he caught sight of a security camera in the corner of the wall, "Right down to the smallest detail," he grinned, "Got you, Mr. Minotaur," he turned and ran back down the stairs as Rita just shook her head.

She walked over to the landing of the next floor and looked up at the camera before tilting her head back and closing her eyes, smiling softly, "Praise him."

~8~

The Doctor ran through an archway to find himself at the end of a corridor. He paused, looking around...when he felt a prickling on the back of his neck. He slowly turned, looking back over his shoulder as the hallway shifted before him and a room came closer. He turned completely, standing before it as the number 11 stared him in the face.

His jaw clenched as he eyed Room 11, he knew he shouldn't open it, he'd warned the humans not to. But...he was FAR more curious than a human was. And...he...he didn't like not knowing things. He hated it really. And...he honestly didn't know what was behind the door, as Lucy had mentioned.

Like Angel...it could really be anything.

So...slowly...he reached out to the knob and opened the door…his eyes widening in absolute horror…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, again right?! Oh boy...I think this is a problem, I think I've developed a serious cliffhanger problem lol :) ...is there a help group for that? :/
> 
> But as for Angel's room, I hope it made sense and was as 'complex yet simple, powerful and human' as Joe made it seem. I sort of feel like we see her trying to be strong and not let on how deeply River gets to her that to see her room is an eye-opener of just HOW much she truly is terrified by the prospect and threat of River, she (and what she means for the future) is literally Angel's worst fear, even more than what the Silence could be doing to Ayla :( I sort of got the impression from the lighting we glimpse for the Doctor's room that, maybe, for the Time Lords, since they had lived so long, that their rooms would need to be more powerful to try and break them :( So instead of just a simple hotel room...it was the TARDIS, and instead of just one moment, it was a series of things that were really all interconnected :( I feel so bad for Angel, but I can say that Amy WILL be keeping true to her word, the Doctor might just find out about Angel's room and well...that'll be something they need to address.
> 
> But here's a thing...was Angel affected by her room the way the others were? I'm not quite sure if she was. It didn't seem like the Doctor was, so I sort of took that to mean that, maybe, Time Lords are stronger than that. Angel didn't react the way the others did...but...I can say that the Doctor's reaction to his room won't be anything like the show, so there's still a chance it'll hit him harder }:)


	38. The God Complex: The Doctor's Room

Angel gasped and spun around from where Amy and Rory and Rita were talking in the dining room, "Doctor!" she bolted out of the room, Amy and Rory racing after her as Rita smiled and headed out slowly after them.

Angel ran up the stairs and around a corridor, coming to a sudden stop, Amy and Rory nearly running into her back as they took in the sight before them. The Doctor was sitting before a closed door with '11' on it, his back to the wall, his knees up, his head in his knees, his hands over the back of his head, shaking, crying…

Angel shook her head and ran over to him, dropping to her knees before him, frantic, as Amy and Rory slowly walked over, "Doctor…Doctor!" she shouted, putting a hand on his shoulder. He flinched at the touch which made her bite her lip, wondering if this pain that hit her at that was what the Doctor had felt whenever she had pulled away from his touch. She hesitated only a moment before reaching out and touching his cheek, slowly lifting his head to look at her, her hearts breaking at the _shattered_ expression in his eyes, "Doctor," she breathed, stroking his cheek with her thumb. This was almost worse than the darkness she sometimes saw in his eyes, "Doctor it's me…" she continued, all too aware that he wasn't really _seeing_ her at the moment, whatever it was that had made him like this was just...consuming him, "Angel…"

His face crumpled at her name and he tried to duck his head down again, "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…forgive me, please. I'm _sorry_ …" he hunched over, sobbing again, shocking Amy and Rory, who had never seen him in such a state, not even when Angel was taken, no, that had been anger and rage and darkness but this...this was just...a broken man, a scared man, " _Please_ …"

"Doctor I'm right here," Angel lifted his face again, this time with both hands, looking at him, "Doctor look at me," she whispered, half-pleading with him as she wiped the tears from his cheeks though they kept falling. She knew it had to be bad, for the man who was so strong to break down in front of others this way, to openly cry the way he was...it had to be something that was getting to him deeply, "Look at me…" she tilted her head, "What is it?"

He shook his head and looked back down, covering his face with his hands. His mind was _far_ too jumbled for her to try and read it, to see what he'd seen, what had shaken him so. All he kept doing was repeating 'I'm sorry, please forgive me,' in his mind. It was alarming her how...fractured his mind was growing, how strained...like something was trying to force its way into it and she knew she had to be quick, had to DO something, to stop it.

"Angel," Rory called, standing by the door to what had to be the Doctor's room.

Angel looked at the Doctor once more before forcing herself to stand up and walked over to the door, opening it slowly as the three of them peered in...

And there she was, a version of her, standing inside the room with her back to them. She appeared to be in a TARDIS blue dressing gown and was standing before a...crib at night. The room was dark, so dark she couldn't see the color of the walls, only the windows on the side open, letting in starlight, just enough to illuminate the crib and her. She could see now...there was a baby in her arms, she was rocking it to sleep. She almost frowned, he was...scared of this?

But then the Angel in the room turned and spotted the Doctor sitting hunched over outside the door, across the hall, and her face morphed into one of such utter _hatred_ and _loathing_ that Amy and Rory were almost taken aback by how _not-_ Angel it was.

"Get him _away_ from us!" the Angel in the room spat at them, "Get him away! The bloody idiot! Coming swooping in, making people _trust_ him, making people _love_ him…only to kill them inside. Monster! I _hate_ you! I'm _never_ letting you near me or Ayla _ever_ again! You'll get us both killed! Get out! Get away! I hate you! _I_ _hate you_!"

Angel slammed the door shut and spun around, kneeling before the Doctor once more and hugging him tightly, her hearts clenching painfully at how he shook in her arms, "It's _not real_ Doctor," she whispered to him, squeezing him tighter, "That _wasn't me_ , I would NEVER say that to you..."

"I'm sorry," the Doctor sobbed, his words muffled by how tightly he'd moved to cling to her, his arms around her, his fists gathering bits of her dress in them as he hugged her, his face buried in her shoulder, in her hair, his eyes clenched tightly shut, "I'm _so_ sorry…"

Angel just shushed him gently, stroking her fingers through his hair, feeling his shaking start to lessen at the motion, she knew his last self had LOVED it when she ran her fingers through his hair, and he had more hair this time, "It's alright, I'm here…I would _never_ keep Ayla from you," she smiled a bit as she thought on their daughter, despite the pain she felt at it, "She needs someone to give her bowties eh?" the Doctor sniffled and she could feel him nod into her shoulder, at least he was aware now, he could _hear_ her, now...she just had to bring him back, now it was HER turn to comfort him. She pulled away and looked at him, "Doctor, I _love_ you, no matter what you do, I will _always_ love you," she lifted his face, looking into his eyes as she spoke, "I've seen you at your absolute worst and I _still_ love you, _nothing_ will ever change that, I will NEVER hate you," he looked at her, tears streaming down his face, just on the edge of coming back. She stroked his cheek, " _I love you Theta,_ " she added in their language before leaning in and kissing him gently, opening her mind to him as much as she could, sending him as much reassurance and love as she could across their bond, just...wanting the pain to go away.

It took only a moment for the words and action to reach his addled mind but slowly, he started to return the kiss, lifting his hand to touch her cheek, holding her there, bringing her closer as he deepened it, trying to keep going for as long as he could, fearful of letting go, until air drove them apart. He blinked a few times and looked at her with just a mite of hesitation, as though he weren't sure if she was really there or just another nightmare in the room come to torture him with the prospect of love and forgiveness before it was taken away, " _Nella_?" he whispered in Gallifreyan.

She smiled at him, feeling whatever it was that had been pushing against his mind being forced away once more by his mental walls, and nodded, " _I love you_ ," she repeated.

He blinked a few times, nodding to himself, coming out of his shock, before he let out a breath, dropping his head to rest his forehead to hers, his eyes closed, trying to gather himself, " _I love you too._ "

"Good," she laughed just a bit, returning to English, as she leaned back and reached up to wipe the tears from his eyes with her thumb. The Doctor grabbed her hand as she moved to pull it away and held it a moment before lifting it to kiss her palm, making her smile softly. While the last Doctor had seemed to love kissing the back of her hand...this one seemed to cherish kissing her palm.

He looked over to see Amy and Rory standing there awkwardly and couldn't help the flash of embarrassment for them having seen him in such a state. He was the Doctor...he was supposed to make others feel better, not more scared, to see HIM breakdown like that...he was sure he'd alarmed them, "Sorry," he mumbled.

"You alright now?" Amy asked as Angel helped him up.

"I'm always alright," he replied, though his arm snaked its way around Angel's waist, holding her tighter to him than before, holding her back to his front just... _needing_ her to be closer to him, needing to feel her in his arms and know that she wanted to be there, that she...that she _loved_ him. He looked down, feeling her arms come to rest over his, as though holding him as he held her and let out a relieved breath, turning his head to rest his temple to hers, just a smidge away from nuzzling the side of her head in thanks.

"What were you doing here Doctor?" Rory asked him, last they'd heard, the Doctor had just gone to check the staircases to see if the TARDIS was still there.

"I was uh," he sniffled once more, shaking his head, straightening and taking a breath, feeling Angel squeeze his arms in reassurance, "Looking for the surveillance room, saw the security cameras, thought they might lead to something."

Angel stepped away slowly, but turned to him as she moved, her hands sliding down the Doctor's arms to take his, knowing that the contact was something he needed and craved at the moment, "I think I can lead you _there_."

He smiled and squeezed her hands as she turned and led them off, the Ponds not even noticing that Rita hadn't followed them...

~8~

In another wing of the hotel, Rita climbed up the stairs, a soft smile on her face...

~8~

Gibbis slowly approached the fishbowl, looking around to make sure no one could see him before picking it up and rushing off.

~8~

Angel pushed open a door and led the Doctor into the small room to see a small set up of monitors on a desk against the wall, the security room, "Oh, you beauty!" the Doctor grinned before turning to Angel and pecking her on the cheek, "The both of you," and gave her one on the nose, "Though YOU," and one on the other cheek, "Are SO much more beautiful," before giving her one on the lips and turning back to the monitors, "Come on, big fella. Where are you?" he paused, his smile fading when he spotted Rita walking through the halls.

"Is that Rita?" Amy frowned, spotting her as well.

"Rita, where are you going?" the Doctor muttered, picking up a phone that was sitting on the desk and dialing the nearest room to Rita. They watched as the woman stopped and looked at the room beside her, "Come on, come on, come on!" Rita looked back at the camera, as though guessing what it was, before entering the room, "Come on, come on…" someone picked up, "Rita! Where are you going? Can you take the phone into the corridor? Will it reach?" Rita walked back out into the hall with the phone, "You started to praise it, didn't you?" Rita nodded.

Angel took the phone, "Rita, please come back."

She shook her head and the Doctor took the phone back, "We'll find a way to stop it, I _swear_ to you."

Rita just knelt down on the floor with the phone, "No, I need to get as far away from you all as possible."

"No, you don't. The creature only wants whoever's praising it."

"You'll put yourself in its way?"

Angel leaned over, tugging the Doctor's arm down so she could speak to Rita without taking the phone away from him, "I've done it twice already."

The Doctor swallowed, he was infinitely happy that Angel had been able to save people but rather less than happy that she'd done it with a monster charging at her without him there to help her, and lifted the phone, "Just hold on, Angel will come and get you. Block out the fear and stay focused on your belief."

"The hotel will keep us apart," Rita told him, "I could be 50 miles away by now, how fast do you think she can run?" the Doctor glanced at Angel, realizing Rita didn't know about her abilities, about her 'teleporting' skills, "I want you to do me one last favor, Doctor. I can feel the rapture approaching, like a wave…"

"Doctor…" Angel pointed to one of the monitors where the beast had appeared, walking down the hall, getting closer to Rita they knew.

"I don't want you to witness this," Rita continued, "I want you to remember me the way I was."

"Rita," the Doctor shook his head, "Rita, please. Angel's coming she'll…"

"Tell her to stay where she is. Please, let me be robbed of my faith in private."

"Look," Rory pointed to another monitor, the minotaur was closer.

"Rita. Rita. Go into the room, lock the door," the Doctor told her.

But Rita just smiled, too far gone now, lost to them, the 'praising' setting in, "I'm not frightened. I'm _blessed_ , Doctor. I'm at peace. I'm going to hang up."

"No, no, no, Rita."

"Goodbye, Doctor."

"Rita!"

"Thank you for trying."

"Rita, please!" but she hung up, "Please! Please," they watched in horror as Rita stood up and turned to face the beast who appeared at the end of the hall, throwing back her head and spreading her arms out, welcoming it, "Angel!" he turned to her, not really wanting to urge her to do this but...she had been right, she HAD saved Joe and Howie, and...there was still a chance to save Rita. And really...right now he needed to exercise his own faith, build himself up from his room, and Angel...well...he had all the faith in the world in her.

Angel nodded and disappeared in a flash of gold as the beast started running towards Rita. There was a grey flash on the screen as Angel appeared behind Rita, grabbing her elbow and pulling her back, holding out her other hand at the approaching minotaur. It crashed into a golden wall that had flared to life just in time, stumbling back with a roar. Angel quickly turned and disappeared with Rita in a flash once more.

The minotaur picked itself up and let out a bellow of anger at having been thwarted.

' _Dining room,_ ' Angel's voice filtered to him. The Doctor let out a sigh of relief and fell heavily back onto a chair, watching the bottom monitor where Gibbis was in the kitchen...eating the goldfish.

He rubbed his head, he had to work this out NOW, he was _not_ going to risk Angel facing the beast again, no. He needed to get them all away from there and stop the beast before it was too late. It was only a matter of time before Rory or Amy or Angel found their rooms...

~8~

Angel sat beside the Doctor in a small booth on one end of a bar area that was connected to the dining room, Gibbis in the booth between them and Amy and Rory in the last booth. The Doctor had his arm around Angel's shoulders, his fingers absently running up and down her arm as he tried to focus and calm himself, tried to remind himself that Rita, Joe, and Howie were knocked out, that they were safe, that the Ponds were safe, that Angel was safe...but knowing the minotaur thing was out there, that it was likely fairly angry for having had its meals snatched from him three times now...it did little to ease his mind.

"Ok," he began, glancing at a completed Rubik's Cube on the table, "It preys on people's fear and possesses them. But Rita _wasn't_ afraid, she was brave and calm. Maybe it's something to do with the people? Some connection between the four of you that'll tell me how to fight it."

"Yes," Gibbis snapped, "You keep _saying_ that, but you never do, it's always the girl. And while we wait, people keep getting attacked. And we'll be next! What if we're not so lucky next time?!"

"Look, he'll work it out," Amy told him, "He always does. Just let him riff and move anything expensive out of his way when he gets frustrated."

"Oh, no," the Doctor sat up straight, realization dawning on him at Amy's words, at her _faith_ in him. It was one thing to feel it and think it himself internally, but to hear someone _else_ say it...it _hit_ him, "Oh, no, no."

"Doctor, what's wrong?"

"It's not _fear_ ," he told them, "It's _faith_. Not just religious faith, faith in something," he got up and walked over to the bar, turning to face them, "Howard believed in conspiracies, external forces controlling the world. Joe had dice cufflinks and a chain with a horseshoe. He was a gambler. Gamblers believe in luck, an intangible force that helps them win or lose. Gibbis rejected personal autonomy and is waiting for the next batch of invaders to tell him what to do. They all believe there's something _guiding_ them, about to save them. _That's_ what it replaces. Every time someone was confronted with their most primal fear, they fell back on their most fundamental faith," he sat down on the barstool and rubbed his eyes, "And all this time, I've been telling you to dig deep. Find the thing that keeps you brave. I made you expose your faith. Show them what they needed."

"But why us?" Rory frowned, "Why are _we_ here?"

"It doesn't want you," the Doctor turned to look at Rory, "That's why it kept showing you a way out. You're not religious or superstitious, there's no faith for you to fall back on..."

"I believe in Angel," Rory cut in, "As much as Amy believes in you. I trust her. I know it'll be ok if she's here."

The Doctor nodded, "And you see, that's not faith. Knowing...that's not faith, that's just, well, knowing."

Rory blinked, that...made sense.

He'd always believed in Angel, more at the start than anything, had _had_ to have faith in her as she promised him he was a great person and a strong man. He hadn't believed it but he'd tried to have faith in that, in her. But...the more time went on, the more she reaffirmed that strength she believed he had...the more he saw it. As time went on, the more his faith grew to trust, the more his trust grew to...just... _knowing_. Like how Angel knew things would happen, he just...he KNEW Angel would always be there, always be that amazing girl she was, always help and keep it light and reassure people and protect them. And the more he started to know that, the surer he became in the Doctor being a madman with a box, a clever and ridiculously wonderful man who tried to show them the wonders of the Universe. The more he knew that, the more he just...KNEW that Amy was HIS. The more sure he was that Amy had picked _him_ and loved _him_ and would _stay_ with him.

So, the Doctor was right, it wasn't faith...it was just...he KNEW them.

"That would go for Angel as well," the Doctor continued, "Psychic, must cancel out the rooms and…" he trailed off, seeing Amy and Rory exchange a glance and peek at Angel. Amy had told Rory about going to see Angel's room when he'd noticed the Time Lady was a bit more closed off upon entering the dining room earlier and confronted her about it as the Doctor and Angel talked by Joe, "What?" the Doctor looked between the three of them, before it hit him and he turned to Angel, a fear in his eyes for her, "You opened your door, didn't you?"

"Like you did," Angel nodded, not seeing the point in lying to him about it, not that she really could, she was a terrible liar.

"So it might have infected you too then…" the Doctor frowned, getting up to walk back to their booth, looking at her intently, she didn't seem to be exhibiting the other effects as the others. He could see it in her mind, she wasn't redirecting her faith, she wasn't feeling worshipful in the least…quite like him, now that he thought about it, he didn't feel...different, not at all. Very, _very_ angry at whatever it was that had used Angel's form to try and get to him yes, but not...like Howie or Rita had, he was fairly FAR from calm right now worrying about Angel...

"I'm not," Angel reassured him.

"How do you know?" he frowned, reaching out to take her hand, she was _still_ hiding something…

She took a breath and looked up at him, they had always called her an angel, always said that she gave them faith and...she knew what it was, she'd worked it out when she'd seen her room, seen how it affected the others. It made sense...she'd always had the most faith out of quite a few others. Faith in humanity, faith in the Doctor, in things working out, in just...a good end. She still had it...even now. Her faith had been...shaken, by River, yes, but... _not broken_. Even when she'd seen the Doctor kiss River, she'd been able to feel it...his confusion, his...dislike of it, it had given her hope. Even with her abilities, knowing the future, wielding the Vortex, there was never anything _certain_ about it. In a way...her entire being operated on faith. The future was _always_ changing, she never knew if she'd be able to stop some of her visions happening, the Vortex didn't always work, she had to hope she could be strong enough to use it at times. She had to trust in humanity, in the Doctor, in her family and companions because...it helped give _them_ faith in themselves.

Seeing her room...she'd known _exactly_ what the intention had been.

"The reason the rooms affect others so greatly is that...it forces them to confront their fears," she explained, going on her feelings and her own conclusions, "Something they've hidden away, something they avoid, something they _don't_ think on and ignore, that they push away and lock away and _never_ confront. When they're _forced_ to see it play out before them...it _shatters_ them enough that whatever the creature is can manipulate them, twist their fears to faith, build them back up with faith in IT instead."

The Doctor nodded slowly, it made sense. He'd already figured that, perhaps he'd been _too_ broken for any sort of faith to enter him when he'd seen his room. It was just...it broke him entirely, in a way that, well, only _Angel_ would have been able to piece together again. Because only she knew how. When the room was a specific person...it was like...only that person could heal you and put you together again. Even that PE teacher from before had been a representation of physical labor and ridicule, not a single person. But...for him...his fear had revolved around Angel and only she could quell it and bring him back.

Not the beast.

But...why wasn't it affecting Angel? What had been in her room? He wasn't disappointed that it hadn't affected her, not at all! He was SO relieved that Angel appeared to be ok. It made him wonder if, maybe, because they were Time Lords, because their minds were naturally shielded from others trying to read it, that maybe it was stronger against whatever it was that was changing the others. He didn't kow what it was, and really, he didn't care. He knew Angel had a room there, Joe had said so, he hadn't ever wanted her to have to see it. If his reaction had been anything like Angel's and he hadn't been there for her...

"My fear…" Angel continued, pulling his attention back, careful not to give away too much or think on it should he see it. She knew _the moment_ he found out what it was, he'd try to reassure her and...they didn't have the time to do that, he needed to focus on helping others. And, to be honest, she...she didn't want him to know, it was...her fear was...it just hurt too much, she didn't want to talk about it even now in vague terms, "It's not something it can confront me with because...it isn't something I _can_ ignore. It's something I've been confronted with before and will be again, something that I deal with every day, it plagues my thoughts, it haunts my nightmares…" she shook her head, shrugging, "It can't shatter me with it because…I'm already broken."

His grip on her hand tightened at her words, he didn't like to hear her talk like that. She was the _farthest_ thing from broken there was. HE was broken, by so much, she was just...indestructible. But...IF she was already affected by her fear...then it DID make sense. The way she described the rooms, it was the shock of seeing your worst fear that did it, because you weren't expecting it and it terrified you all the more, but if it was something she already knew, something she was currently dealing with and thinking about...how shocking could it be? Not very at all, and that worried him. What could there have been, travelling with him, that _kept_ scaring her?

She was STILL hiding it from him.

"What was it?" he asked, "What was in your room?"

She shook her head, getting up, not wanting to deal with it right now, just...talking about the rooms made her feel...tense and on edge and...she knew if he looked at her with that pleading look a moment longer she would give in and she _couldn't_ , not now, "I'm going to check on the others, make sure they're still sleeping peacefully."

"Angel," he called, standing up, "Tell me… _please_ …"

She paused and looked back at him, "I will…when this is over, I'll tell you."

His eyes widened a bit and his mouth dropped open as she walked further into the dining room, "What?" Rory frowned, seeing his reaction, "Doctor…what is it?"'

"She was lying," he breathed, completely startled by that, "She just… _lied_ to me," it wasn't even that he could tell she was, Angel was a _terrible_ liar, as this was proof of, he could always tell when she was. But this...she was _choosing_ to lie to him, and that hurt, the woman who rarely ever lied...wanted to lie to _him_. She didn't have any intention of telling him what her fear was...

Amy and Rory exchanged a confused look before Amy turned to him, "Not quite sure I understand…"

"Rule 2. Angel doesn't lie," he shook his head, "Something has to be very, _very_ wrong…"

"Her room," Amy said, her voice more bitter than the Doctor had _ever_ heard it, more so than even her older self in Twostreams was, " _That's_ what's wrong about all this."

The Doctor looked at her, startled, " _You_ saw her room? What was it?"

Amy shook her head, "I promised her I wouldn't tell you."

"Amy, this is _important_."

" _Angel_ is important," she countered, "I'm _not_ going to betray her trust in me."

"Trust…" the Doctor muttered, before his eyes widened and he looked at Amy, her words sparking yet another epiphany that made him stumble back to sit by the bar once more, "It didn't want _us_ …it wants _you_ …"

"Me?" Amy frowned before getting up to go sit by the Doctor, "Why?"

"Your faith in _me_ ," the Doctor said, glancing at Angel through the door to the dining room. Amy had faith in Angel as well, probably more than him…but he _knew_ what he'd have to do to save them now, just as he'd done to Ace once. And if he was going to break Amy's faith in anyone, it would be in _him_ and him alone, he deserved their faith far less than Angel. If he could just make Amy think it was ONLY her faith in him that could affect them...then there was a chance they could make it out with her faith in _Angel_ still intact, and that would be worth it in the end, " _That's_ what brought us here."

"But why do they lose their faith before they die and start worshipping 'it?'" Rory asked.

The Doctor stood and walked over to Rory, leaving Amy to ponder what he'd said, "It needs to convert the faith into a form 'it' can consume. Faith is an energy, the specific emotional energy the creature needs to live. Which is why at the end of her note, Lucy said..."

"Praise him," Amy said.

"Exactly," the Doctor nodded…

And then it sank in and Rory jumped to his feet, "No. Oh, please, no."

Angel ran back into the room, "It's coming!" she shouted a moment before they heard a roar in the distance, "Come on!" she turned and ran to another door, leading the way.

"What about Joe, Rita, and Howie?" Rory asked as they ran after her.

"It won't want them in their current state," the Doctor assured him, "It only wants them when they're openly worshiping it, he'll be after Amy now."

"Not making it better," Rory remarked as they raced around a corner and up some stairs. They flew through the halls when a roar sounded behind them, the halls had changed behind them, the beast was on their trail, now at the end of their hall.

They ran down it...when Amy suddenly stopped and faced it, "Amy!" Angel cried.

Rory and the Doctor spun around and ran over to her, "Amy?" the Doctor yelled.

"What are you _doing_?" Gibbis demanded.

"He is _beautiful_ ," Amy breathed, staring at the beast.

"Leave her! Just leave her!"

Angel grabbed Gibbis's arm when he tried to run and pulled him back towards Amy as Rory and the Doctor draped Amy's arms over their shoulders and dragged her down another hallway, now back on the first floor. They ran into a room, Room 7, and stopped short when they'd entered to see little Amelia sitting on her suitcase in her red wellies waiting, looking out the window for the Doctor to return with his magic box. Rory ran back to the door, trying to hold it shut while Gibbis ducked down between the beds, trying to hide.

Amy fell to the floor, "Doctor, it's happening. It's changing me, it's changing my thoughts."

The Doctor looked at Angel, who could only shake her head sadly, there was no time, the beast was right outside. He nodded and knelt down before Amy, "I can't save you from this, there's _nothing_ I can do to stop this," he told her bluntly.

"What?" Amy looked at him, alarmed.

"I stole your childhood and now I've led you, by the hand, to your death. But the worst thing is, I knew. I _knew_ this would happen. This is what _always_ happens," the beast pushed the door open, shoving Rory into the corner behind the door as it flew open.

Angel hesitated only a moment, knowing that if she tried to stop the beast then she couldn't help the Doctor, that she couldn't make Amy lose her faith in HER as well. This wasn't something she wanted the Doctor to do alone...but if she didn't do something...the beast would get them. She bit her lip...and ran over, holding out her hands, creating a golden wall, keeping the beast at bay for now.

The Doctor looked back at Amy, he had to hurry, not wanting Angel to have to maintain that for too long, "Forget your faith in me," the beast growled and pounded at the wall, making the Doctor speak quicker, more desperate when he saw Angel flinching with each hit, "I took you with me because I was vain, because I wanted to be adored," he stroked her hair, "Look at you. Glorious Pond. The girl who waited for me," he blinked, Amy now appeared to be little Amelia, kneeling before him, "I'm _not_ a hero. I really _am_ just a madman in a box, travelling the stars with an angel. And it's time we saw each other as we really are," he kissed her forehead and when he pulled back she was Amy again, the beast staggering back, "Amy Williams," he tapped her on the chin, "It's time to stop waiting."

He stood up and walked over to Angel, putting a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it and kissing her temple, resting his forehead to the side of her head to let her know it was ok now. He took her hand as she let the wall drop before they both stepped into the hall. They watched as the beast staggered back, collapsing onto the floor. The lights around them began to flicker. Angel walked over to the beast and knelt down, petting its head comfortingly.

The Doctor smiled softly at the sight of her compassion before kneeling on the other side of the beast, "I severed the food supply. Sacrificing their faith in me. I gave you the space to die. Shh, shh…" he stood up and the hallway disappeared, turning into a black room with a light grid floor. There was an instrument panel running, with golden holographic symbols on it, and a few port holes in the floor and walls as windows. Amy, Rory, and Gibbis were there as well as Joe, Rita, and Howie, still lying on the ground, not to wake till the beast was truly gone.

"What is it, a minotaur?" Amy asked as she looked at the creature beside Angel, sounding a bit unsure of what to say to the Doctor now, just looking for _something_ , "Or an alien? Or an alien minotaur? That's not a question I thought I'd be asking this morning."

"It's both, actually," he walked over to a panel, "Yeah. Here we go," he hit a button and read the information, "Distant cousin of the Nimon. They descend on planets and set themselves up as Gods to be worshipped. Which is fine, until the inhabitants get all secular and advanced enough to build bonkers prisons."

Rory and Gibbis wandered over to a porthole on the floor, looking out at space below them, "Correction," Rory called, "Prisons in _space_."

"Where are the guards?" Amy looked around.

"No need for any," the Doctor remarked, "It's all automated. It drifts through space, snatching people with belief systems and converts their faith into food for the creature."

Gibbis pointed to a small planet, "See that planet, there?"

"Which one?" Rory squinted.

"The grey one, there."

"Mhmm."

"That's where I'm from."

"It didn't want just _me_ ," Amy stated quietly, walking over to the Doctor, "So _you_ must believe in some god or someone or it would have shown you the door too. So what do Time Lords pray to?"

The Doctor just looked at her a moment, before turning to look at the golden letters flying across the screen, "I've seen fake gods you know, and bad gods, demi-gods, would-be gods, had the chance to _be_ a god a few times…out of all that, all those pantheons out there…there's only _one_ thing I believe in, just one."

Amy turned to him, "What's that?"

He just looked over her shoulder, back at the minotaur, at the girl still kneeling beside it, holding its hand and stroking its snout, whispering soothingly to it. Amy smiled softly at that, it made sense, if there was one thing in the entire Universe for the Doctor to believe in, Angel was it.

He cleared his throat and got back to the panel, "According to the in-flight recorder, the program developed glitches. It got stuck on the same setting, the fears from the people before us weren't tidied away."

The beast growled and Angel nodded, listening.

Amy frowned, "What's it saying?"

"'An ancient creature," the Doctor translated, "Drenched in the blood of the innocent, drifting in space through an endless, shifting maze. For such a creature, death would be a gift,'" he moved over and knelt down across from Angel, putting his hand over hers on the beast's, "Then accept it," he whispered to the creature, "And sleep well," he stood up and walked away...when the beast growled once more. He froze, translating, "'I wasn't talking about myself.'"

The beast's eyes closed as it let out a breath, its head lulling in death.

Angel stroked its snout once more before getting up. She walked over to the Doctor, who was still standing in place, putting a hand on his shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts. He looked at her and she offered him a small smile which he just managed to return, shaken though he was. He turned and they walked towards the TARDIS, Amy and Rory following after they had helped the now-awake and thoroughly confused trio of humans up, just leading them towards the box as well.

Gibbis stood by the doors timidly, waiting for them, "Could I have a lift?" he asked, "Just to the nearest galaxy would do."

The Doctor nodded and unlocked the TARDIS.

~8~

Angel leaned against the console as the TARDIS landed, they'd just dropped off Rita, Joe, Howie, and Gibbis to their homes and now there was only one couple left to see about. She glanced at the Doctor, who nodded to her sadly, he was _determined_ to do this and she knew there would be no changing his mind about it. This adventure...had been _far_ too close, shaken them all _far_ too much. She sighed and nodded as well before turning to Amy, who was sitting on the jump seat, a bit despondent.

"Amy?" she called, drawing the girl's attention, "Rule 1."

Amy frowned a moment before recalling just what 'Rule 1' was.

The Doctor lies.

And her eyes widened. He'd been _lying_! Everything he'd told her, or at least most of it, had been a lie just to shake her faith in him, to save her from the beast…she smiled softly, to _save_ _her_ , to save them all.

Her faith _was_ justified.

"Now you've got it," Angel laughed before walking over to Amy as she stood and hugged the ginger girl tightly.

Amy was a bit surprised at the action, at how tightly Angel was squeezing her, as though she would never see her again. But regardless, she hugged her back just as tightly, after that experience, she could do with a good hug and Angel gave the best ones.

Angel smiled at her, pulling away, "Now I have a hug for my companion too…" she turned around and walked over to Rory, hugging him as well. Her face, though, was one of sadness and farewell over his shoulder, only the Doctor able to see it. She knew...this was probably the last time she'd be able to see her companion again, they would be leaving soon…she pulled back, tears in her eyes though she put a smile on her face for their sakes, "Well, now, I don't know about you two but I'm rather tired, the Vortex takes a lot out of me," she gave a little laugh, turning to the Doctor, "I think I'll pop off to bed if that's alright?"

He nodded, knowing why she didn't want to stay, want to go with him out of the TARDIS. This was _his_ decision. _He_ was the one who was going to drop off Amy and, in the process, he would be forcing her companion to leave as well, not that Rory would _ever_ leave Amy. The final, actual, goodbye would be too much for her, he knew. Saying goodbye to Mickey had nearly killed her to do and she'd only known the boy a few adventures, Rory had been with them for _years_ now. And he could sense a terrible pain in his Mate, a realization of sorts, that she was trying to hide from him. He also, in a way, was _hoping_ she would ask him to do this himself, there was something he needed to talk to Amy alone for.

Angel turned and walked up the stairs as the Doctor watched her go, waiting till she'd disappeared down the hall before he turned to the companions, offering them a smile before heading to the doors without a word. He opened them and stepped out onto a street with a row of colorful townhouses across from the park behind them. There was a red jaguar E-type car parked outside the blue house, which immediately drew Rory's attention as he and Amy stepped out behind him.

"Don't tell me," Amy looked at the houses first instead of the car, "This isn't Earth, that isn't a real house, and inside lives a goblin, who feeds on indecision."

"Nope. Real Earth, real house," he tossed her a set of keys, "Real door keys!"

"You're not serious?" she gaped at him.

"The car too?!" Rory's eyes widened as he walked towards the car, staring at it in shock, "But that's my favorite car," the Doctor fake boxed at him, "How did you know that was my favorite car?"

"How do I know anything intimate and private that no one really says out loud?" he asked.

"Angel," Amy and Rory said at once.

The Doctor smiled and nodded, "But, in this case...you showed her a picture of it once and apparently said, 'That's my favorite car,'" he tossed Rory the car keys, "She's got this whole thing with getting to _know_ her companions," he added, just slightly joking.

"Rory," Amy went over to him, speaking quietly, "Can you give us two minutes? Two minutes?"

Rory turned to the Doctor and put an arm around him, pulling him aside, "She'll say we can't accept it because it's too extravagant and we'll always feel a crippling sense of obligation," he looked back at Amy and then the Doctor, "It's a risk I'm willing to take!" he walked towards the house, his eyes glued to the car until he'd made it inside the house.

Amy leaned against the bonnet of the car and patted the spot next to her, "Hey," she began as he leaned next to her, "So...you're leaving, aren't you? You and Angel?"

"You haven't seen the last of us," he assured her, though she could tell he was semi-lying, "Bad Penny is my middle name! Seriously, the looks I get when I fill in a form..."

"Why now?"

He sighed, "Because you're still breathing."

"Well, I think this is about the washing-up, personally."

They both laughed a bit sadly. The Doctor stood and walked towards the TARDIS, "I mean, you're right, there's still heaps of stuff out there to look at. Do you know, there's a planet whose name literally translates as 'Volatile Circus?'" it was a trip he was _sure_ Ayla would enjoy, he thought, as he stood in the doorway of the box, "Or maybe there's a bigger, scarier adventure waiting for you in there."

Amy looked at the house and back at him, "Even so, it _can't_ happen like this," she walked over to him, "After everything we've been through, Doctor, everything...you can't just drop me off at my house and say goodbye like we shared a cab."

He walked back to her in the middle of the road, "And what's the alternative?" he countered, "Me standing over your grave? Over your broken body? Making Angel stand over _Rory's_ body?" he sighed, rubbing his head, "It's not just that…" he admitted as well, "It's Angel too. All that time we were looking for Ayla, we stayed fairly relative to you and Rory. All summer, we barely talked, barely ate, barely slept…we just...we wanted her back," Amy nodded, understanding that drive completely. She'd felt it on a MUCH less powerful level as a little girl, just wanting her imaginary friends to come back, "We…ignored _a lot_ of the problems that we had and then we got the call from you two and came back and..." he sighed, rubbing his face wearily, "I learned more about what Angel is going through having you two with us than I did in all that time we were alone. And that isn't right. Rory was _completely_ right, I've done a bang up job taking care of my Mate and that _has to stop_. It's time I actually _did_ something instead of running away, leaving it to you two to help me help her. She _needs_ me, we need _each other_. I just…didn't realize how much until just now," till he'd seen his room. He looked at Amy once more, "Please Amy, tell me what was in her room."

Amy stared at him a long while before sighing and telling him _exactly_ what she'd seen and even her own opinions about it all. About River and the relationship he'd seemed to have with her in Angel's room, about Ayla and River, the TARDIS, the bracelet, _everything_. The Doctor listened carefully, taking in everything, even what Amy wasn't saying as she tried to spare some of his feelings and guilt about it all. He understood now what that flash of fear had been after Angel had saved Amy-O, when he'd promised Angel he'd be the best Mate ever...she'd been afraid that he _would_ be the best Mate indeed, but _to River_ and not her. It seemed he had more to heal with his Mate than he realized, he really was just scratching the surface wasn't he?

He looked at Amy with a sad smile and hugged her tightly once more, silently thanking her for this one last bit of help he needed with Angel.

Amy hugged him back, "If you bump into my...my daughter, tell her to visit her um, her mum?"

The Doctor tensed at that, his jaw clenching, if he had his way, they would NEVER see River Song again, timelines be damned. But if it meant River would be with the Ponds instead of him and Angel...he could do that, "And look after him."

"Look after you," she kissed his forehead, "And Angel," and his check, "And Ayla, and _when_ you find her," she pulled back, smiling, "Bring her over, I want to meet my niece _properly_ ," it had been rather rushed in Demons Run, SO many people there to be family to the baby.

The Doctor smiled and nodded, walking back to the TARDIS. He stopped in the doorway and waved.

She gave him a wave as well, laughing sadly, "Bye."

He closed the door and the TARDIS disappeared...just as Rory came out with glasses and a bottle of champagne, frowning as he saw it vanish, "What happened? What's he doing?"

"He's saving us," she whispered, looking into the sky before she turned to hug her husband.

~8~

The Doctor walked down the halls of the TARDIS to their bedroom, slowly opening the door so as not to awaken Angel should she be sleeping...only to frown and open the door the entire way, she wasn't there. He looked up at the ceiling of the TARDIS, silently asking for help. A moment and a whoosh later, there was a door behind him, the door to _Angel's_ room. He reached out, placing a hand on the light wood, gently tracing her name with his other hand before he slowly turned the knob and peered in.

Angel was lying on her bed, her back to the door, curled up. His hearts broke at the sight, breaking even more when he stepped in more and saw she was clutching something to her chest, something light blue...the shirt he'd worn last when he regenerated. He'd thought he'd left it at the hospital but apparently his sneaky Mate had managed to take it back to the TARDIS. Which begged the question of...why was she clutching it so tightly?

"Because this was the last incarnation of you that dismissed River entirely," Angel answered, sensing his thoughts, knowing that Amy had told him about her room, and also alerting him to the fact she _wasn't_ sleeping as he'd thought, "The last one that made me feel like it was...like it was only _me_ when River was around."

He walked over to the bed, sitting on the edge of it a moment to take off his shoes and jacket, before turning and laying beside her, putting his arms around her as he held her back to his chest, "Tell me," he whispered to her, knowing she needed to talk, to explain, because she was holding _so much in_ he doubted he'd be able to figure it out on his own.

He was clever yes, the most clever man in the Universe probably...but women were _complicated_.

She sighed, "For nearly three years I was nothing to you, you forgot me, and…you genuinely started to fall for River," her voice caught at that, "You were able to start to...to love her and not me."

He squeezed her closer, still feeling unbearable guilt about that, even if his _mind_ hadn't remembered his hearts and soul should _never_ have allowed him to even start to feel that way for the psychopath, "And?" he knew there was more.

"And…" she swallowed hard, it was difficult to admit this to herself let alone to him, "It will take more than just a few declarations to reassure me and…" she trailed off, not wanting to say, REALLY not wanting to say it.

"What?"

"And for me to _trust you_ again," she whispered, her hearts breaking at that, at having to tell him that...she didn't fully trust him anymore, "With everything, because I _did_ trust you Theta," her voice started to break, tears entering it, and he could feel her tense, trying to not cry, "With EVERYTHING and it _destroyed_ me in the end, it broke me in ways I didn't know I _could_ be broken," she took a few breaths, trying to calm down as he squeezed his eyes shut tight at her pain, "I _have_ forgiven you, but I…I don't think I'll _ever_ be able to forget what it felt like to see you falling in love with her..."

"I started to...because I loved you," he murmured, feeling her freeze in his arms, feeling her emotions starting to conflict, completely not knowing what he meant by that, "Nella I..." he shook his head, trying to put words to it, to describe what he'd felt during that time. It was...hard. It was SO hard to remember it, not because he didn't want to (GOD how much he DIDN'T want to think of that time) but...what he felt now was SO different to what he felt then. It was like...he almost couldn't remember what he'd felt because even trying to imagine feeling that way for River just...didn't fit, it felt impossible.

"I felt things, for you," he continued, struggling to make sense of it all, "I DID. But..." he shook his head, " _Every time_ it came to the surface I...I pushed it away or tried to rationalize it or...I just...distracted myself with something else."

"River was a...distraction?" she spoke, he didn't need to see her face to know she wasn't quite believing that.

"Not exactly," he sighed, leaning in more to bury his nose in her shoulder a moment, inhaling her sweet scent to try and calm his mind, to clear it...which really only did the opposite, having her in his arms like that, smelling so nice, being so close and warm and...he shook his head firmly, now as NOT the time, he had a point to make, "She...wasn't you."

"I'm really not following."

He took a leaf out of her book and bit his lip a moment, "Whatever the Silence did to me...they wanted me to forget that I loved you, they wanted to KEEP me from loving you. For me to do that...to not love you, impossible, by the way," he whispered in her ear, before speaking again, "I had to push...so much away. It was like...when River was there, yes she was a distraction but it wasn't just that," he sighed, frustrated with himself, he wasn't explaining this very well was he, "She was...the opposite of you. You're...kind and loving and shining and she was...sly and harsh and...dark. She wasn't _you_ , she was the _opposite_ of you, the Anti-you...and because she wasn't you...it was like...if I started to love her, then it meant I..." he closed his eyes tightly at having to say it, "It meant I couldn't love _you_ , because _you_ were the opposite of _her_."

Angel was silent a long moment, the Doctor growing tenser and tenser the longer she was quiet, praying that he hadn't hurt her feelings by what he'd said, trying not to peek at her emotions, wanting her to know that he was just...letting her come to terms with it.

"The Silence didn't want you to love me," Angel began slowly, "And since River wasn't me...since she was the opposite of me...she was the only one you could start to love, because if you liked her, being how she was, then it meant you didn't like me," she repeated, "You...started to love her because of me, because it was the only way for you to not love me."

"Yeah," he breathed, feeling her understanding what he was saying.

Something was keeping him from loving her, from realizing he loved her before.

In order to convince himself he didn't love her, to convince himself he...couldn't love her...he'd found someone that was just the complete opposite of her. Because in his mind, back then, how could he love Angel if he was in love with someone like River?

It made him absolutely sick to his stomach that he'd felt anything even resembling love (or even like...or even fondnes...or even affection) for someone like River. But he hadn't seen a lot of that back then, not loving Angel...it had made him not notice a lot about her, not notice a lot about what went on around her, like how River treated her. But...he had to remember that, even feeling something for River...it had never truly reached love, because there was always something...a niggling or something...keeping him from connecting to the woman that way, a niggling that kept pulling him to Angel even then. And the more he felt for Angel, the more he'd tried to make himself feel for River.

"She was just a way to keep yourself from realizing you loved me," Angel nodded, understanding it now. It...actually...made her feel a little better. It wasn't that the Doctor was genuinely attracted to River, or that he was really falling in love with her, despite what it seemed...it was just...River wasn't _her_.

It...made a sort of sense, to think about it...the Doctor had loved her so much, so deeply, that the _only_ way that his own mind could keep himself from loving her again was to force him to look at a woman who was completely unlike her in every way. For him to start to like someone like River...not exactly a...good...person at all...for him to like someone so...dark...it was a testament to how much he loved HER and her, well, light. He used to say she was the brightest thing in his life, it made sense that, in trying not to love her, he'd forced himself to look at the darkest presence in his life.

He nodded into her shoulder, resting his forehead against it a moment, SO relieved that she understood. He could feel her now, feel her own relief and her...happiness that, even then, even when he'd started to feel something for River, it really was proof of how deeply he had still loved her if his mind had had to constantly force him to turn to River. He swallowed, shifting, needing to say one thing more, "I will _never_ truly love River, never ever," he promised.

"You can't know that," Angel sighed, even though she was reassured he hadn't loved River in the past...that was the past and, like she'd told Amy, the future was always changing. And, even knowing what she knew now, it would still take some time to come to terms with that, to absorb it all. She'd spent years believing he was falling in love with River, finding out something like this, while enormously relieving, would take time to accept, "Neither can I, not for all my abilities."

"I _do_ know."

"How?" she asked, but he remained silent till she rolled over to look at him, " _How_?"

He stared into her eyes, her beautiful silver eyes, a moment longer before looking away and closing his own, unleashing one of the emotions _he'd_ been hiding from _her_.

He let her feel _exactly_ what he felt for River Song.

Angel gasped, which made him open his eyes to look at her, seeing her eyes wide in shock at the emotion he'd shared, at how _powerful_ it was. She was completely stunned by it, to feel how utterly he did NOT love River, how...impossible that would be now.

"I'm terrified of myself," he told her gently, reaching out to take her hand between them, squeezing it, "Because I _never_ thought I could hate _anyone_ more than I hate myself and…I hate River even _more_ than that," he took a breath and allowed the emotion to fade away, hiding it from her once more, "I tried to hide from you, from everyone, because we know River will be traveling with us, as much as I'm _loath_ to allow that, and…" he sighed, "I didn't want to make it more difficult for us to try and have some semblance of civility if we _had_ to be around her," he looked her straight in the eye as he promised her, "I will _always_ hate River even if I have to record myself for my next incarnation telling him to do it too."

"I don't want you to _hate_ her Theta," she whispered, reaching out to stroke his cheek.

She... _she_ couldn't even muster hatred towards the woman. It wasn't River's fault she'd been raised the way she had, the training forced on her had _made_ her into what she was. And River had been created _because_ Ayla escaped...in a way...she felt it was HER fault it had all happened because she'd tried to change it and only ended up making it happen worse than it would have been before. River had suffered so much and...just _thinking_ that it could have been Ayla who endured that, who _became_ that, how _easily_ it could have been Ayla...she couldn't hate River for something she had no control in becoming. Everything, even her genetic structure, had been selected on purpose and constructed by the Silence for a specific reason, River didn't have _any_ choice in the matter at all.

The Silence and Kovarian...she was NOT pleased with _them_ at all, for what they'd done to her and the Doctor and Ayla and River...THEM she...she might...well, she wasn't sure what she felt but...it was quite a bit more powerful than how she'd used to feel about the Cybermen.

The Doctor turned his head into her touch, pulling her from her thoughts with the action, "Nella…I think this is, quite honestly, one of those _very rare_ times where not even _you_ will be able to change my mind about this," she looked down and he knew she felt guilty about his feelings towards River, so he placed a curled finger under her chin and lifted her face, "I will not let it consume me though, I promise you that."

He couldn't help how he felt though. River...everything she'd done, right from her start and even to her finish...it...infuriated him. Right at the start of her timeline she'd tried to poison his Mate (and pulled a gun on her, probably 3 times and tried to pull a knife on her), she'd been bitter and cruel and biting and harsh to her. She'd glared and snapped and belittled Angel. She'd tried to manipulate HIM away from his Mate, tried to seduce him, tried go get between them. And...it was just all too much. He tried not to let River's first actions influence his thoughts on her, her training...it was like she was programmed. But it was HARD, because she was supposed to kill HIM and she had CHOSEN to kill Angel instead. She had, of her own free will, under no command of the Silence, attempted murdering his Mate, had succeeded in doing it for a moment or two.

And now, knowing she was free from the Silence, that she'd go on to become a doctor and a professor and have a life, even trapped in Stormcage (where he doubted the Silence could get to her), he knew she escaped. And if she escaped, then all the ways she acted towards Angel in her future were just...her. They were her own emotions and her own feelings coming to the surface. He just...

He couldn't forgive River for what she'd done and what she would do in her timeline.

Not when his Mate had suffered because of it.

He looked down when he saw Angel move, that she was giving him a small, albeit tired, smile for his promise to not let his hatred get the best of him, to not let it feed the darkness inside him, and he realized how much seeing her fear must have emotionally drained her. Now that he thought of it, he was particularly spent as well, "Shall we pop off to bed then?" he asked her, giving her a smile.

"I think I'm too tired to move," she admitted.

"Me too," he gave her a little smirk, pulling her closer, "Your little bed shall have to do for now."

She was silent a moment as she lay cuddled to him, "I think this is the first time you've stayed in my room."

"I know," he nodded, leaning his head closer to hers, "I prefer the two of us in OUR room though," and gave her a small peck on the lips, "Go to sleep."

She nodded tiredly and squirmed just a bit closer to him, making him smile wider as he entwined their legs, his arms wrapped around her, her head on his chest, "I love you Theta," she said quietly, already drifting off.

He smiled, feeling her calming down, feeling her...healing just a little bit more. He knew that...her entire fear had revolved around River...around the woman taking over her entire world. She need to know that it would never happen. As long as he loved HER and not River...nothing like that could happen. The TARDIS would literally KILL him if he ever treated Angel the way the him in her room had, Ayla, when they found her, would NOT see River as her mother, he would make sure of it. And HE would NEVER let River that close to him again. Angel needed to know that River was not a threat, it would take doing, but he'd started the process.

It was funny...Angel's fear was one person taking away her world and making it hate her. HIS fear...was the one person who was his world hating him.

He looked down, seeing Angel's breathing even out, her face relaxing in sleep and leaned in, kissing the top of her head, "I love you too Nella," he whispered, "For always and eternity."

And he would prove it too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awww :) Sweet ending to make up for a rather harsh beginning, and fluffy bits too! :) I debated making the Doctor's room an entire complex scene like Angel's, but...I sort of wanted to show the differences in their fears and personalities. Angel's was very complex, but revolved around River tearing her world apart whereas the Doctor's was almost simple, really incorporating the ONLY woman who meant the world to him. I hope that it made sense, how much of Angel's life River could technically destroy while we saw how much of the Doctor would be destroyed if Angel ever hated him :( Like...River was taking Angel's world, but Angel was the Doctor's world :) Which is a little sweet :)
> 
> I know that Ayla would probably be a VERY big fear for the Time Lords but...they know she manages to escape and that it's a matter of finding their daughter now. I think, while she'd be a HUGE fear for them, what happened to her/what could happen to her, she's not their deepest fear, the one that's set root in their minds and built up over years. I interpreted that sort of fear that was in the rooms to be the one that ran the deepest, that had the longest time to fester inside them. Angel's has been growing for years, ever since first meeting River with the 10th Doctor and the Doctor's fear has pretty much been there ever since Angel agreed to be his Mate as we know that he's always felt like HE doesn't deserve her and that losing her would be his worst fear :(
> 
> But we've hit another major issue that had to be resolved. River :) I hope the reason the Doctor started to lean towards River made sense. I tried to phrase it right but it sounded better in my head lol :) He loved Angel so much that the only way to convince himself that he didn't love Angel (when he'd forgotten her) was to try and love someone who wasn't her to max :)
> 
> Next we get Stormy and Craig though! Awww :) I can say there's still one VERY big issue that the Time Lords haven't really discussed yet. Touched on, but haven't really talked about since it happened ;) I also have to say that...the Doctor is going to spend a lot of time helping Angel recover from all this, but I haven't forgotten that the Doctor was JUST as affected by it all }:) It might take a while, but we WILL see the affect all of this is having on HIM as well at one point ;)


	39. Closing Time: Visiting

Streetlights flickered as a few people milled around in the park across from a Sanderson & Grainger department store. Inside the lights flickered as well. A young blonde woman working at the register served the last customer of the night as her supervisor helped her, "Thank you," the supervisor smiled, giving the customer his bag.

"I better cash up then?" the young woman asked, "S'pose John-Joe can just wait for me?" she sighed but didn't move, casting a slightly hopeful glance at her supervisor, hoping she'd catch the hint.

"No, I'll do it," the supervisor smiled, "You head off."

The lights flickered and the young woman looked up, "When's the council going to fix this? Last night my telly went off in the middle of Top Model."

"John-Joe's waiting," the supervisor reminded her, "I'll do the changing rooms too."

"Oh, thanks, Shona," she smiled gratefully at the woman before turning and heading out to catch up with her boyfriend while Shona looked up at the lights nervously.

~8~

Craig followed Sophie down the stairs as the lights inside their house flickered. Sophie tugged on her coat, nervous as she continued to give Craig advice, "There's a list on the fridge."

"I saw it," he nodded.

"And I've labeled the food and sort of numbered it."

"Sophie, you don't need to number food."

"It's just a suggestion. Also, my mum might phone."

"Might?"

"And your mum. And my dad. And you know, just some people."

"I can cope on my own!" he laughed, "Now, please, go and have a rest. You need it. I love you."

"I love you, too," she hugged him, "And thank you for this. And I _do_ know you can cope on your own. And...I may have drawn some arrows in the fridge."

He shook his head, ushering her to the door, "You _do_ really have to go," he picked up her bag and walked her outside.

Things had been...mad the last few months, and Sophie was wearing a bit thin, so he'd urged her to do this, to take some time off to rest and relax, promising her that he'd be just fine handling everything on his own. And he would be. He was sure...almost sure...slightly sure...alright, not all that sure at all...that he could cope just fine on his own.

~8~

Shona walked down the aisle of changing rooms, seeing clothes strewn about the floor of one room as the lights flickered, "Kelly!" she huffed to herself, bending over to start picking up the clothes, clearly Kelly wasn't doing her job of checking the rooms periodically to try and make the mess to be cleaned at the end of the day a bit less. She sighed and grabbed a few clothes, when the curtain over the last room billowed, making her frown, sure that the last customer had left for the day, "Hello? Sorry, we need to close up? Two minutes, ok?" she turned back to the clothes, folding them and sorting them to be put back, turning her back on the curtain as it billowed again.

~8~

Craig was sitting at the kitchen table that night, on the phone, "Mum, it's not just _you_. I'm phoning _everybody_. I'm texting the world. Craig Owens can do it on his own. No one is coming to help me!" there was a knock on the front door and he sighed, "Mum, I'm going to have to call you back," he shut the phone off and rubbed his eyes as the knocking continued, "I'm coping," he muttered getting up, "I'm coping on my own...I'm coping on my own!" he stormed over to the front door and threw it open, ready to tell whatever family member, friend, or neighbor that had come to check on him exactly how he was doing, "I'm coping on my own!"

"Hello, Craig!" Angel smiled as she and the Doctor stood before him.

"We're back!" the Doctor laughed, his arm around Angel's shoulders.

"She didn't?" Craig looked between them, "How could she phone you?"

"How could who phone us?" the Doctor frowned, "Nobody phoned us, we're just here," he peered into the house, "You've redecorated! I don't like it."

"Doctor!" Angel nudged him in the stomach for his rudeness, "It's lovely Craig."

The Doctor smiled at her for that, leaning in to kiss her temple at how polite and considerate she was. He absolutely beamed when he pulled away to see her _smiling_ up at him again, to know that she was happy around him once more. It had taken him _centuries_ , nearly 200 years, to get her back to this point where she was... _happy_ again (though he knew she'd be happier, as would he, if a certain someone was with them again too). It had been...really _just_ what they needed, the time alone, in the TARDIS, just the two of them, where he could focus on her and give her the attention and healing she needed. He wasn't a Doctor for nothing. It truly was a testament to how badly things had been, how broken and fractured their relationship was, how deeply River and his amnesia had affected them that it had taken 200 years to heal from. But he supposed it made sense, a cut could be made in mere seconds but take weeks to heal.

But he'd done it, he'd done everything he could think of to try and prove to Angel that he loved her more than anything. To make her see that he was telling the complete truth, that he wouldn't ever let anything happen to her again. He did his best to try and _earn_ her trust back. It had taken a long time, but...he was almost sure that he'd succeeded. Things had gotten better between them, very much so but...it was like...there was still...something there, something that still had to be worked out even after all that time and, he was sure that it was the last thing they needed to sort out before they could truly say they were ok again and better than before. They had dealt with a lot of the main issues they had when the Ponds had still been with them, everything else had been small in comparison but still just as affecting. Really it had been most of those issues, just...getting her to believe in what he'd said to reassure her of those fears of hers. He'd touched her more, been there for her, and just...loved her.

"It's a different house, we moved," Craig told them, making the Doctor look back at him to see the man looked a bit confused to the kiss he'd given Angel given that last time the Time Lords had been there, they hadn't been nearly that close. He...he knew that something had happened between them, that they had a baby together, he'd been there at Demons Run with Sophie, had immediately volunteered to help, Sophie had just learned she was pregnant and the thought of someone stealing a child away from their parents was...he couldn't stand to think of it happening to Angel and neither could Sophie who had insisted on going despite the new knowledge of her own pregnancy and the danger of Demons Run.

They'd been there, yes, they'd only caught a glimpse of the Doctor and Angel together, having been more focused on the soldiers to make sure no one tried anything funny. It was one thing to know someone had a child together, but another to see them being like...that...when they hadn't been before. He...he knew not to say anything about it though, Jack...he'd contacted all the people from this time period to let them know about Ayla. Not because they'd be able to help much, all of them living more ordinary lives, but because he'd felt they deserved to know what happened since they'd been there. He was...being very careful NOT to bring up their daughter, because...he could see she wasn't there at the moment and he didn't want to upset them or hurt them.

If THEY brought it up...he'd talk, but...he would wait till then.

"Yes, that's it," the Doctor nodded.

"Doctor, what are you _doing_ here?"

"Social call. Thought it was about time I tried one out."

It was a lie.

Partially.

They HAD popped in here and there to see the family throughout the 200 years, saying hello, informing them about their search for Ayla. They were STILL looking for their little girl. All of time and space in the entire Universe...they knew they'd just _barely_ scratched the surface in the 200 year period. But they didn't give up, though they were both more aware that what they'd done before they _couldn't_ do again, go to so many places and just keep getting their hopes crushed like that. So they, once or twice a decade or a little more frequently, went to some place they knew Ayla wouldn't be, mostly to visit the family. But...about 150 years ago, which he felt might have been when Angel had slowly come to terms with what happened to Ayla in Demons Run...Angel had developed her own quest to do along the way. He'd said during one of their talks that what happened at Demons Run _hadn't_ been her fault, that even if the entire family, if all those hundreds of people had stayed behind, the Headless Monks would have cut them down, that they would have taken Ayla regardless and slaughtered hundreds to do it. It had seemed to get to her, that remark, and...ever since then, Angel had been determined to see quite a few very specific people.

"And I wanted to see everyone who came to Demons Run to say thanks," Angel smiled warmly at him, she had wanted to thank them properly as she hadn't gotten a chance to at the base, just...let them know how much it meant to her that they really HAD risked their lives to help her, "It really meant a lot to me Craig, that you and Sophie came to help."

Craig smiled, "Well how could we not?" he shrugged, a bit bashful now.

She laughed, thinking about Lance actually. He'd been one who had actually tried NOT to help...till Donna had tracked him down and pulled him out of his house by the ear yelling death threats at him if he didn't help. There was nothing scarier than an irate ginger, and the Doctor thought HE was scary when he was mad? Lance had actually screamed when he saw them standing on his doorstep before he slammed the door shut and agreed to talk only by shouting through the door, completely sure that Donna was just waiting around the corner or something.

"How are you?" she asked, because...it wasn't just saying thanks, it was...she wanted to make sure they were all ok.

It was like...there was this...pit in her stomach that told her something truly _bad_ was about to happen very soon. And she knew what it was...the only vision she'd had that HADN'T come true yet...her at a lake, being shot. She didn't know why it happened but...she could feel it getting closer and...she wanted to check in on everyone. She wanted to make sure they were all ok, that they'd...be ok in the future. She couldn't help but feel it was going to come true very soon. She kept the thought, the vision, quiet, not wanting the Doctor to see. He'd been so worried about her the last 200 years that she just...she didn't want this to be what sent him over the edge...she didn't want to risk him trying to take her place, she couldn't bear it if that happened.

They had had a few...trips with River, accidental it seemed at the time, they'd just be somewhere and River would appear. They'd gone to Easter Island, sadly a plague had struck them shortly after they arrived. They didn't know what had caused it but the natives seemed to have blamed HER for it...the Doctor seemed very angry when he'd learned exactly why. Because River had been there first and the people trusted River more so when another woman appeared and a plague struck they blamed her...the Doctor was under the impression that River had spread a rumor about it, had influenced the people because why would they JUST blame Angel when HE had been there with her? But...Angel wasn't sure if the woman really had or if the Doctor was being paranoid and letting his thoughts on River influence him and just...see the worst in her. But the Doctor had managed to cure the plague, being a doctor and all, and the natives had erected stone statues in honor of him, claiming him to be a god and worshiping him. It had struck a little close to home given what happened in that hotel and they'd left fairly quickly after that.

It...hadn't exactly gotten any easier when, on the last trip that River had appeared on, when they'd gone to visit a lovely Fish named Jim, River had stumbled upon them too. It was...a bit suspicious how she kept appearing at some trips when there was little reason for her to be there. The Doctor was sure she was stalking him through time and space...much like that man Rose had told him about had done, like how Mickey had researched him once, found him popping up through history. It was like when he'd popped up to say hi to the Ponds here and there, trying to shout hello from history...but with more...not nice intentions. It was like River had researched some places he'd gone in the future and decided to show up to the ones she knew exact dates to or something. The last trip, well, they could both tell she was fairly young, an earlier version of River because...well...Angel had ended up nearly drowning when River had 'tripped and fallen against her' on a log they were crossing over, ironically, a river, and she'd fallen in. The Doctor had _immediately_ jumped in after her, not even hesitated, and the look on River's face after they both made it to the banks a short distance away had set the Doctor in a rage, accusing her of having pushed Angel and trying to kill her again. Angel had had to literally drag him away to the TARDIS, trying to ignore the fact that she'd seen River smirking victoriously down at her when she'd popped up in the water after hitting it, moments before the Doctor had jumped.

She'd had to use extreme methods to calm the Doctor down after that event, the console room had been soaking wet, which the TARDIS herself wasn't happy with and which had nearly had her tripping all over the place from the puddles and her own uncoordination, but the Doctor refused to change till they'd gotten into the Vortex and as FAR away from River as possible. And then she'd reminded him he was still wet...that SHE was still wet, and cold, and they needed to change and warm up. She had been thinking of a nice warm bath and a good long cuddle with her Mate in front of a fireplace...but his method was well...she blushed recalling it. She had been warm though, very warm, and she HAD gotten a cuddle out of it in the end...though NOT in front of a fireplace...not even sitting really.

"I'm fine," Craig replied, though now tense, which made her frown, worried.

"This is the bit where we say, 'We're fine too' isn't it?" the Doctor asked Angel before turning to Craig, "We're fine too," Craig's gaze turned a bit puzzled at the sad expression on Angel's face when he said that, though the Doctor didn't seem to notice, but then again…Craig wasn't entirely sure he _did_ see it as it was gone a second later, he could have been imagining it, "Good. Love to Sophie, bye!" he turned, taking Angel's hand, to walk away but she stopped, turning to look at the light over the front door a moment before it began to flicker. The Doctor looked between her and her gaze on the light before realizing, "Something's wrong!" he turned and ran back to the house, pulling Angel with him past Craig as he shut the door behind them. The Doctor pulled out his sonic, scanning the front hall before following the beep up the stairs, "On your own, you said. But you're _not_...you're not on your own!"

"Doctor…" Angel began quietly.

"Just, shhh!" Craig hissed.

"Increased sulphur emissions," the Doctor continued to assess as he walked up, "And look at the state of this place. What are you not telling me?"

"Doctor, please!"

"Shhh," Angel whispered.

"No, you shhh!" Craig snapped.

"No," Angel laughed a bit, not at all hurt by him snapping at her, she could see the man was under quite a bit of stress, " _Him_ shhhh," she nodded at the Doctor.

"Right," Craig nodded and turned to the Doctor, "Shhh!"

"No, you shhh!" the Doctor hissed, heading towards a bedroom.

"Doctor…" Angel tried once more.

"Doctor!" Craig shouted.

~8~

Shona was just finishing the clothes, when she saw a shadow and a pair of legs appear in the last changing room. She sighed and walked over, "Hello, who's in there?"

~8~

The Doctor opened the bedroom door and rushed in with his sonic ready…only to enter a nursery room stuffed with toys, with cloths hanging on the walls, though he hadn't noticed until after he'd yelled, "Whatever you are, get off this planet!"

And then the baby boy in his crib started to cry, making the Time Lords freeze and look over at it.

Craig sighed and walked over to his son, "Oh, you've woken him!" he'd been hoping to avoid that, because he knew...seeing him with a baby would probably hurt the Time Lords because of what happened to their own daughter...he'd been trying to get them to sort of go...so they wouldn't find out.

Too late now.

~8~

Shona stopped just outside the curtain and peered through the crack, "Hello? You alright?" she pulled the curtain aside and screamed as a dirty and scratched Cyberman grabbed her...

~8~

The Doctor closed the freezer door in Craig's kitchen, "So when you say on your own..." he walked over to the table, putting his hands on Angel's shoulders as she sat at the table, watching Craig stand before them, holding the baby. He squeezed her shoulders a moment, offering her support, she always got a bit sad with babies around, especially their past companions and family, seeing them with their children, it reminded them both they might be missing that with Ayla.

"Yes, I meant on my own with the baby, yes," Craig said, growing a bit flustered, "'Cos no one thinks I can cope on my own. Which is _so_ unfair. Because..." he started shaking his head, "I _can't_ cope on my own with him! I can't. He just cries. _All the time_ ," he turned to put the boy in the high chair, "I mean, do they have off-switches?"

The Doctor grinned and sat at the table, flipping through a pregnancy book, "Human beings? No. I've checked."

Angel laughed, "I think he meant the baby."

"Same difference," the Doctor shrugged, "Sometimes this works though," he put his finger on his lips, turning to the baby, and whispered, "Shh."

Craig watched in awe as the boy quieted, "Can you teach me to do that?"

The Doctor turned back to the baby books, children's books, "Probably not."

"Oh, please, come on, I need _something_ , I'm _rubbish_ at this."

"At what?" Angel shook her head.

"Being a dad. You read all the books, they tell you you'll know what to do if you follow your instinct. I have no instinct! That's what this weekend's about, trying to prove to people I can do this one thing well."

The Doctor burst out laughing at the book but Angel could feel his own sorrow in Craig's words and knew he was trying to distract himself. She knew what he was thinking, about being a dad, about feeling as though he'd failed at it. Losing his children on Gallifrey was one thing, they had all been older, he'd gotten to be with them, raise them, but...losing Ayla...not even _realizing_ she had been created for a majority of her pregnancy…that had _hurt so much more_. Coming _so close_ to protecting her and getting her back only to lose her…it hurt him. She knew that...that he didn't love any one child more than any of his children but she felt it in him, he...what he felt for Ayla was more powerful than on Gallifrey. It was a combination of them being the last, of wanting to protect her that much more, and...of the fact Ayla had been conceived in _love_ instead of obligation. He loved his children on Gallifrey, yes, he hurt still to think of them, but Ayla...Ayla was his chance to get it _right_ , to have a child that he'd made of pure love, to raise her and protect her and cherish her...and he'd failed _again_ to do that. He already felt like he'd failed in being a Mate because he forgot her, now he felt like he failed in being a _father_ too. Because his little girl, _his baby girl_ , had been taken and hurt because he hadn't been quick enough, because he'd been arrogant and curious and...hadn't been _enough_ to stop it.

Angel swallowed hard and took his hand, squeezing it comfortingly for a moment, running her thumb over the faint scars on his knuckles, before pulling away, not wanting him to feel her own sorrow and make him feel worse, it was always harder to hide emotions when physical contact was established.

The Doctor tensed a bit as she pulled away. She did that sometimes and he didn't know why. He knew that he'd made remarkable progress in redeeming Angel's trust in him. With every adventure, every attempt at finding Ayla again or getting information on the Silence had proved to draw them closer together, closer to how they were and better than they were. But…there was _still_ something Angel was keeping from him, he could feel it. He'd sensed it before but he wasn't going to force her to tell him. She had trusted him and he'd shattered that along with her hearts, it had taken him nearly 200 years to build back up her faith and trust in him. As her new trust in him grew so did the number of things she admitted and told him about and talked with him about. She wouldn't share her secrets till she trusted him that much more with what she had to say. And he knew _not_ to push her, she had to come to terms with sharing it on her own.

He would wait, he owed it to her to be patient, and for her…he could wait an eternity.

He shook his head, seeing Craig staring at him and the book curiously before clearing his throat, "So what did you call him? Will I blush?"

"No, we didn't call him 'the Doctor!'" Craig remarked.

"No, I didn't think you would," he sighed, "Would Angel blush? She does blush a lovely shade of red…" Angel blushed and the Doctor beamed, pointing at her, "See! What did I say? Lovely isn't it?" he leaned in and nuzzled the side of Angel's head with his nose, making her blush even more.

Craig laughed a bit, "No, not Angelo either. He's called Alfie. What are you doing here anyway?" he turned to prepare some tea as the Doctor leaned over to listen to Alfie gurgle.

"Yes, he likes that, Alfie. Though personally he prefers to be called Stormageddon, Dark Lord of All."

"Sorry, what?" Craig looked over, startled.

"That's what he calls himself," the Doctor told him.

"How do you know that?"

"We speak Baby," the Doctor stood as Angel just smiled gently at Alfie.

"Of course you do!" Craig rolled his eyes, "I don't even know when his _nappy_ needs changing!" he sat down heavily, " _I'm_ the one supposed to be his dad."

"Oh, yeah. He's wondering where his mum is?" the Doctor added as he moved to massage Craig's shoulders, "Where _is_ Sophie?"

"Visiting Melina for the weekend," Angel said.

"How did you…" Craig looked at her, before recalling, "Right, psychic."

"She needed a rest?" Angel guessed as Alfie gurgled.

"No, he's your _dad_ , you can't just call him 'Not-Mum,'" the Doctor told Alfie.

"Not-Mum?" Craig frowned.

"That's you. Also, Not Mum, that's me. And Angel. And everybody else is..." he leaned forward in front of Alfie, "'Peasants.' That's a bit unfortunate," he tickled Alfie's head, making Angel smile as she watched him, he was SO good with children it made her hearts hurt to know their own was still out there.

"What are you here for?" Craig looked over at the Doctor, they seemed to be doing ok around the baby, they still hadn't brought up their daughter yet, which...he was almost glad for, he really didn't want to have to speak of such a sensitive topic with Alfie there, knowing Alfie was the cause of it. But...having the Time Lords there with his baby there...it only made him more worried that something dangerous was going on.

"Just popped in to say hello and thanks," the Doctor replied.

"Chalk," Angel called as he almost moved to put a piece of chalk in his mouth. The Doctor frowned at the piece for how it wasn't food before tossing it on the table.

"And next door, both sides, they're humans," Craig continued, "Is it the fridge? Are there aliens in my fridge?"

"I just wanted to come and see you, Craig," Angel reached forward and put a hand on Craig's arm reassuringly, "I just…wanted to see everyone once more, say thank you," Craig frowned at the phrasing of her words 'once more,' it didn't _sound_ like she was simply saying _again_ but more...one more time...and glanced at the Doctor, who was checking the fridge just to be sure, "Cross my hearts," Angel added, crossing her hearts.

"We've been knocking about on our own," the Doctor added, turning around, "You were the last on our tour."

Angel nodded, "We've just come from the Gamma Forests," she told him, smiling as she recalled meeting the young Lorna Bucket, the girl had been so sweet and she finally got that purple flower from her vision.

The Doctor grinned, "Thought we'd just pop in to see you, then we're off to the Alignment of Exedor," the Doctor grinned.

"The Alignment of Exedor?" Craig frowned, they were acting...very calm for a couple who had lost their child but then...he started to wonder, did they even know that he KNEW about what had happened after he left? He had seen a lot in the Doctor's head, one thing was that...the man tended to not talk about a problem around others to try and make it seem like it didn't exist or because...he just couldn't.

The only one he'd ever seen him talk to about anything was Angel.

"17 galaxies in perfect unison. Meant to be spectacular, we can't miss it. Literally can't. It's locked in a time stasis field, we get one crack at flying the TARDIS straight into it, if I have finally gotten my dates right…" he looked at the newspaper, and held it up to Angel, "Which I have and without your help piloting!" he was very proud of himself for that.

Angel smiled softly at him, the Alignment of Exedor was actually on their way to check in with the Shadow Proclamation about any news on the Silence, they had decided to keep an eye on the order in the event that they got a lead on Ayla first. The Doctor had insisted on a slight detour to see the alignment…she couldn't say no. She hadn't been able to for the last 200 years. She never knew when they would set down and the timelines would coincide with her vision so she treated every adventure as though it might be her last…because it might and the Doctor had no idea.

She could feel it...her death date getting closer and closer.

"Sounds nice," Craig remarked, still not quite following.

The Doctor flipped the newspaper around, glancing at it, "So this is us popping in and popping out again. Just being social, just having a laugh," he began to slow down and glanced at Angel, "Never mind that."

"Never mind what?"

"Nothing," he said quickly, putting the paper down.

"No, you noticed something," Craig stood up, "You've got your noticing face on. I have _nightmares_ about that face."

The Doctor just put a hand over his face and spun around as Craig spoke, he didn't want to do this, he couldn't. They hadn't found Ayla yet and half the time it was _his fault_. He kept getting distracted by others in trouble. It was just his luck, even having Angel there, that whenever they set down to try and find their daughter some sort of danger popped up, "Nope, given up all that, done with noticing things," the lights flickered as Angel stood up, "Didn't even notice that, for example. Got to go," he turned and grabbed Angel's hand, pulling her to him, "Good seeing you, Craig," he shook Craig's hand, "Goodbye, Stormageddon," and air kissed Alfie on each cheek as the boy started fussing before turning and walking out, half tugging Angel with him.

"No, no, wait, wait, could you do the shushing thing?" Craig called, "Shhh."

"No, it only works once, and only on life forms with underdeveloped brains," the Doctor called, not even stopping, though moving ahead of Angel to get the door.

"Hang on," he turned to Angel, "You said see everyone once…"

Angel quickly turned, hating to do it but...

"Shhh…" she held a finger to her lips, Craig opened his mouth but nothing came out, "Sorry," she whispered before turning to catch up to the Doctor, who was just walking down the front path to the house when she reached him. They turned onto the street and walked down it. She frowned, watching the Doctor as he muttered to himself.

"Just go," he said, "Stop noticing. Just go! Stop noticing! Just go. Stop noticing. Just go. Stop it!" he looked up, seeing the street light flickering before he turned to Angel, "Am I noticing? No, no I am not. And what I am _not_ doing is scanning for electrical fluctuations," he added, taking out the sonic and it beeped, "Oh, shut up, you! We're just dropping in on a friend, the last thing I need right now is a patina of teleport energy, I'm going. Going! Not staying. Going to find my daughter. I am through saving them," what was the point in saving the humans when his own daughter was lost out there!? He turned and pulled Angel into his arms suddenly, resting his head to hers, his arms locked around her, "We're going away now, aren't we?"

Angel gave him a sad smile and hugged him tightly. He'd been putting so much pressure on himself to find Ayla and whenever they would find themselves in some sort of situation where others were in danger, they would often end up spending more time saving them than searching for their daughter. And all it did was make the Doctor more distressed. He'd been trying to refuse to do it lately, blaming himself for them not finding Ayla yet, because he was stopping to help everyone and their aunt instead of his own daughter…but she didn't want him to not try and help people, it was something she loved about him, it was what made him who he was.

"Yes," she whispered pulling away from him a moment to copy a move he loved to do, curling her finger and lifting his chin with it, "We _are_ going away now," he looked at her, "Into the TARDIS, to hone in on where the power fluctuations are coming from so we can save them. You are their Doctor after all," she smiled, "It's your job to make things better."

He looked at her a moment before smiling and kissing her head as she closed her eyes to feel it, "And you are their guardian angel you know."

She just nodded and they entered the TARDIS, Craig and Sophie had helped her, helped try to save her...it was the least she could do to keep them and their son safe. When children were involved...they HAD to help, like with George...they needed to know that, WHEN they found Ayla again, they'd be able to protect her too.

In a way they'd failed to do the first time.

~8~

The Doctor stood before a small group of children, demonstrating a remote control helicopter for the boys, while Angel worked a small remote controlled Barbie car for the girls, "It goes up-tiddly up," the Doctor was saying, "It goes down-tiddly down-down! For only 49.99 pounds, which _I_ think is a bit steep but then again it's your parents' cash and they'll only waste it on boring stuff like lamps and vegetables, yawn!"

Angel looked over from giving the girls a turn to see Craig enter the store, pushing Alfie in a push pram, on his mobile with Sophie, and smiled, "Yeah, Soph..." Craig nodded to himself, "Just enjoy your holiday! Yeah, coping."

"Nobody panic, but I appear to be losing control!" the Doctor called.

"Watch this," Angel whispered to the girls, winking as they watched the Doctor trying to control the helicopter...as it flew straight at Craig.

"Yeah, love you," Craig sighed, when the helicopter suddenly smacked him in the head and fell to the ground behind him.

The Doctor's eyes widened, "Oops…" he quickly knelt on the floor and gathered the children around him, "Guys, guys, ladies and gentlemen, while I deal with this awkward moment you go and find your parents/guardians! Try in lamps!" he gave one girl a high-five before they rushed off, "Craig!"

"What the hell are you _doing_ here?" Craig looked at the two of them.

The Doctor looked at the name tag pinned to his front, "I'm the Doctor, I work in a shop now. Here to help. They gave me a badge," he pointed at it, "With my name on incase I forget who I am, very thoughtful, as that _does_ happen. Though they gave Angel one too…" Angel tapped hers as well, "But that makes _no_ sense at all, I wouldn't EVER forget her name," he promised her, winking at her, "She's too much of an angel to be anything else, isn't she?"

Craig eyed the man a moment, seeing the soft expression on his face as he gazed at Angel. It was...fond and sweet and...loving. Which was very different than the Doctor who had been there to see him before, "Are you two a couple now?" he had to ask, he knew it was possible for people to have a baby without really being together and...he just wanted to know because...they were very sweet together.

"More than that," the Doctor breathed, taking Angel's hand and squeezing it, "We're Mates," he looked at Craig, "This is _my Mate_ , the Angel," and back at Angel, "My Angel," he lifted her hand to kiss her palm.

Angel smiled at the action and at what he'd said before that, about fifty years ago she had _finally_ seemed to get over the amnesia he suffered _just enough_ to be able to somewhat joke about his memory a bit. She had finally come to terms with the fact that it _had_ happened and, though she was terrified that it might happen again still, the Doctor had reassured her enough where it wasn't a _constant thought_ any longer. It was nice to be able to look at him again and not fear him looking through her or forgetting her somehow, she'd be a right old mess the next time he regenerated, but for now...she was ok. And that was good.

"You were leaving..." Craig shook his head, "The alignment of Exeter, what about that? One chance to see it, you said."

"Well, we were on our way, saw a shop, got jobs, you got to live in the moment, Craig," he turned away.

"Be careful with Yappy," Angel called.

"What?" Craig looked at her oddly.

"Yappy," the Doctor turned and held up a small robotic dog, very flimsy and basic, "The robot dog. Not so much fun as I remember," he stroked Yappy, "You look awful!"

"I haven't slept, have I?" Craig nearly wept, "I still can't stop him crying. I even tried _singing_ to him last night." Angel giggled a bit, "What?"

The Doctor smirked, "He did mention that...he thought you were crying, too. He didn't get a wink. Yappy, say goodbye to Craig and Stormageddon," he pretended to be the dog, holding it up to Craig, "'Goodbye, Craig, goodbye, Stormageddon,'" he said in a gruff voice before setting Yappy down when Angel suddenly spun around and looked at the floor, "What is it?" he asked her suddenly, his entire focus on her in an instant.

"Something on the floor," she pointed towards the other end of the department store where something silver whizzed across the floor.

"What was that?" the Doctor frowned, heading down the aisle with Angel.

"You're here for a reason, aren't you?" Craig followed them, "You noticed something, Angel sensed something, and you're investigating it," the Doctor got down on his hands and knees and looked around, "Because it's you, it's going to be dangerous and alien."

"It might not be," he said, standing up again.

"Doctor, I live here, I _need_ to know!"

"No, you don't."

"Doctor…" Angel took his arm, stopping him a moment till he looked at her, "He lives here, with Sophie and their BABY."

The Doctor swallowed and nodded, understanding, before he turned and tapped a newspaper on a table beside them, "Sheila Clark, went missing Tuesday. Atif Ghosh, last seen Friday. Tom Luker, last seen Sunday."

Craig frowned and picked up the newspaper, trying to see for himself, "Why's that not on the front page?"

"Page one has an exclusive on Nina," the Doctor pointed to a girl on the front page, "A local girl who got kicked off Britain's Got Talent."

Angel rolled her eyes, "The others are on 7, 19, and 22."

The Doctor nodded, turning to push the pram as Craig flipped through the pages, "No one's noticed yet, they're far too excited about Nina's emotional journey, which in fairness, is quite inspiring. Though not as inspiring as someone else," he shot a wink back at Angel, who shook her head gently at him.

That was another thing he'd been determined to do. Remind her of how strong she was, how strong she still is. She'd regenerated into such a confident woman, so sure and strong and...inspiring. Angel had lost herself along the way, everything that happened, all the bad that _just kept happening_ to her had broken her down despite her best efforts not to let it. It was understandable, no one could go through all that and be unaffected. But he saw it in her, that strength that was still there, buried under the surface. He'd been right, completely honest before, when he'd told her that he thought she was stronger than him, because she had stayed with him and not run away. And she was, to have dealt with all that and still be able to smile and love him and keep going...she was incredibly strong.

And he wanted to remind her of that. Every chance he got he tried to nudge a little bit more of that strength to the surface. And while it was there, while he knew she was more confident than she had been before Demons Run...it was more of a quiet strength, a subtle confidence. It was there but she didn't flaunt it or wear it openly. This new her had become a bit...good at internalizing things, even her strength. But he could see it in her eyes, that she was getting stronger each and every day, even if it was in an infinitely small amount. Be was determined to build her up especially since he had been the one to break her down in the first place.

It was something he HAD to do...because it was his fault she'd been so broken before. But she was getting better now, better and better, stronger and stronger every day, and that was all he wanted.

"And what else?" Craig asked, it couldn't be _just_ that.

Angel led the way into the children's store when Craig realized what the Doctor was doing and took Alfie back.

"These funny old power fluctuations..." the Doctor began, flushing a bit...he hadn't even realized he'd started pushing the pram till Craig took it back. He swallowed hard at that slip and started looking around the aisles, "Which just happen to coincide with the disappearances."

"That's just the council, putting in new cables. Isn't it?"

The Doctor walked down the back aisle to a lift between departments blocked by construction tape, "Oh, yes, that's it, mystery solved, oh, wasting our time, now you can go home and," he soniced the lift, "We can go to Exedor, goodbye, and here's a lift."

"It says out of order."

"Not any more," he pulled down the tape, "See? Here to help," the lift doors opened and the Doctor and Angel stepped in, Craig joining them with the pram.

"It says, 'danger,'" Craig added.

"Oh, rubbish, lifts aren't dangerous."

"Do I look like I'm stupid?" Craig remarked as Alfie just gurgled, laughing as well.

"Quiet, Stormy!" the Doctor hushed, when Angel nudged him and gave him a look.

One of the two main reasons he'd left Amy and Rory back on Earth had been the danger, how little they knew of how truly dangerous it was. If he wanted people to be safe, they would have to _know_ what they were dealing with.

He sighed, "Oh, alright, there's more," he soniced the panel, getting the lift to move, "Just between you, me, Angel, and Stormy, don't want to frighten my punters. Someone's been using a teleport relay, right here in this shop. Missing people last seen in this area…"

Craig opened his mouth to ask when Angel added, "They've erased CCTV."

He nodded before frowning, "A teleport?" and then his eyes widened as he started to stammer, "A t-teleport? Like...like...like a _beam me up_ teleport," he threw his hands up, "Like you see in _Star Trek_?"

"Exactly," the Doctor nodded, "Someone's been using a beam me up Star Trek teleport. Could be disguised as anything."

"But a _teleport_? In a _shop_? That's ridiculous!"

"Not quite as uncommon as you'd think," Angel murmured, thinking of the Library, of the teleport in the little shop that Donna had noticed. She and the Doctor looked up when the lights flickered and suddenly they weren't in the lift anymore but some sort of ship, one the Time Lords immediately recognized as a Cyber-Ship.

"What was that?" Craig frowned, "Was that the lights again?"

"Yes, that's it," the Doctor's voice grew squeaky as he grabbed Angel's hand, "That's all, it's the lights."

"Why did you say that like that?" Craig looked at him.

"Like what?" he asked his voice still high before clearing his throat and returning to normal, "Like...like what?"

"Like that, in that high-pitched voice."

The Doctor glanced at Angel who nodded and subtly turned to look around, trying to get a sense of it all, as the Doctor focused on Craig, "Just keep looking at me, Craig. Right at me, just keep looking."

"Why?"

"Well, because, because, because..." Craig caught sight of Angel's glances and started to turn around so the Doctor grabbed his arms, making the man look at him, "I love you."

"You...love me?" Craig asked in disbelief.

Angel just gave him an odd glance.

' _I love YOU,_ ' he told her, ' _Just…said the first thing that popped into my head and when you're around…that's pretty much it._ '

She gave him a soft smile at that, ' _I love you too,_ ' she told him, turning to continue keeping watch.

"Yes, Craig," he nodded, swallowing hard and trying to pull his gaze away from Angel...despite it being a Cyber-Ship...she looked lovely in the glowing lights, "It's you. It's always been you."

"Me?" Craig shook his head, not understanding

The Doctor put his arms around Craig's shoulders, trying to hide the fact he'd taken out the sonic from the man, "Is that so surprising?"

"Doctor, are you going to kiss me?" Craig whispered, seeing the man leaning closer, not knowing it was to try and see the sonic over his shoulders.

"Yes, Craig. Yes, I am. Would you like that? Bit out of practice with humans, but I've had some wonderful feedback from Angel," he puckered up.

"Doctor, no, I can't, I'm taken..." he turned around to dissuade the man only to see the ship, "Oh, my God!"

"Or we could just hold hands if it makes you'd feel more comfortable? I know it would make me feel more comfortable, holding your hand and not kissing you. Actually, I'd really rather hold Angel's hand...or kiss her, either would work and..."

"What is happening?" Craig cut in, frantic.

Just then Angel grabbed the Doctor's arm a moment before a Cyberman appeared in the distance, spotting them. The Doctor swallowed hard, "Well, first of all, I don't really love you, except as a friend, seriously, I'm taken too and…"

There was a crunch and they turned to see the Cyber stalking towards them, "And what is _that_?"

With a yell the Doctor held the sonic up and the turned it on, reversing the machinery, sending them back to the lift just as the Cyberman reached them.

"Quick reverse!" the Doctor shouted, giving Angel's hand a squeeze. She could have teleported them all out of there, her powers had grown quite strong in the last 200 years as well, but he needed to make sure he could seal off the link to the ship so no one else would get trapped by that teleport.

"What the hell just happened?" Craig gasped as the lift opened.

The Doctor strode out with Angel followed by Craig with the pram, "They must have linked the teleport relay to the lift, but I've fused it!" the Doctor told him, "They can't use that again. Stuck up there on their spaceship."

"What were those things?"

"Cybermen," Angel said quietly, still not having the best memories of Cybers.

"Ship? Spaceship? We were in _space_?"

The Doctor pushed open a door and they stepped out onto the street at night. The Doctor looked up holding the sonic up at the sky, scanning it, "It's got to be up there somewhere, can't get a fix, it must be shielded," he looked at Angel, "Any ideas?"

She frowned and scanned the sky a moment, biting her lip as she tried to get a sense of it all...before shaking her head, "I can't tell exactly where…"

"You fused the teleport," Craig reminded them, "You sorted it. They can't come back."

"I've just bought us a little time," the Doctor shook his head, "Still got to work out what they're doing before we can stop it."

"But...if they've got the teleport and they're evil, why haven't they invaded already?"

"Craig..." the Doctor swallowed, sensing that Craig was trying to help him think, and that was how it always started, they tried to help him and ended up putting themselves in danger, "Take Alfie and go."

"No!"

"No?"

"No, I remember from last time, people got killed, people that _didn't_ know you. I know where it's safest, for me and Alfie. And that's right next to you and Angel."

The Doctor blinked, "Is that so?"

"Yeah, you always win," Craig nodded.

The Doctor smiled a bit, pulling Angel closer to him, "That's only 'cos I've got Angel. She's my good luck charm."

"She helps you and so can I," he determined, "I'm staying!"

"Craig..." the Doctor shook his head, before sighing, "Craig, alright, alright...let's go and investigate...I mean, there's no immediate danger now."

~8~

The Doctor and Craig walked into the jewelry department with Angel and Alfie behind them, Angel pushing the pram this time, but with Craig aware that she was doing it, "Good afternoon, Val!" the Doctor called to the woman behind the counter.

"Hello!" the older blonde woman waved.

The Doctor started to walk over to the counter when Craig grabbed his arm, "Where am I investigating?"

"Well, look round," he gestured, "Ask questions. People like it when you're with a baby, babies are sweet, people talk to you. That's why I usually take a human with me."

Craig frowned a moment, "So...I'm your...baby?"

"You're my baby!" he hugged Craig as Angel laughed a bit behind them.

"Yes," she whispered to the baby as she knelt down, straightening the small blanket over him as he gurgled, "Yes they are both quite silly aren't they?"

Val just watched on with a small smile as Craig walked back over to Alfie as Angel stood, stepping back so that Craig could head off.

"Hope you don't mind me saying, Doctor," Val began as the Doctor tried on some sunglasses, Angel glancing at the items on the counter a few feet away, "But I think you look ever so sweet, you and your partner and the baby, even taking the sitter along."

"Partner," the Doctor smiled, his mind immediately going to Angel, but then he realized she was most likely talking about Craig because Angel wasn't his partner (well she was, in a way), she was his MATE, "Yes, I like it. Is it better than 'companion?'"

"Companion sounds old-fashioned. There's no need to be coy these days."

Angel frowned as she listened to the woman talk, not quite sure what, exactly, she was talking about.

The Doctor didn't seem too concerned as he leaned on the counter, "You've not noticed anything unusual around here lately, Val?"

"Well..." Val leaned forward as well.

"Yes, yes?"

"Mary Warnock saw Don Petheridge snogging Andrea Groom outside the Conservative Club on his so-called day off 'golfing.'"

"Yeah. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all," he gave two Gallic kisses to Val before turning to walk away, towards Angel.

"And then there's that silver rat thing," Val called.

He turned with a grin, "What?"

~8~

Craig walked through the Ladies' department with the pram, not seeing a silver blur race across the floor behind him. He stopped, taking a breath to keep calm, wanting to help and...possibly seem a bit cooler to Alfie, "Alright, Alfie, you watch daddy investigate. You look cute, I'll do the talking," he slowly approached the checkout girl who had worked with Shona, Kelly, holding up bras for size as she worked.

"Good afternoon, sir, can I help you?" she asked, completely disinterested.

"Hiya!" he leaned in, holding out his hand, "I'm Craig!"

She just rolled her eyes, ignoring his hand "Yeah?"

"Do you mind, if I just ask you some questions?" he asked her quietly.

"Y'what?"

He leaned in more, "Just between you and me, in confidence, have you noticed anything unusual? Interesting?"

"Y'what?"

"Talk to me about ladies wear."

She backed away, completely disgusted, "George!"

A large black security guard walked around a rack of clothes, crossing his arms and fixing Craig with a firm look as he stopped before them.

"Hi, George...nice uniform," Craig swallowed, stepping back.

~8~

The Doctor was kneeling under a table in the toy department, scanning with the sonic, Angel standing behind him with a large net in her hand that he'd given her, Val beside her, "A silver rat," he stood up, "Glowing red eyes."

"Yes," Val nodded, "Then it zizzed off. I wanted to get one for my nephew, but stockroom say there's no such item."

"I bet they do," he put the sonic away.

"Well, what was it then? Answer me that."

~8~

"Can I help you, sir?" George asked, glaring at Craig.

"Have you seen how cute my baby is?" Craig asked as he tried to back away, "Look at his face," he tugged the pram after him, "I'm going to head off actually. Alright, whoa…" he knocked over a stand.

~8~

"Oh Craig," Angel sighed moments before a small crash reached them.

"What's all that hullabaloo?" Val frowned.

"Umm," the Doctor looked at Angel who mouthed 'Craig' and nodded, "That'll be my partner!" he took Angel's hand as she handed Val the net and they ran off.

"Aww!" Val smiled, watching him go with the sitter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to start by addressing something that had been brought up on tumblr for a second :) Angel is kind and forgiving, yes, and Angel in non-confrontational. The non-confrontational bit could be seen as lack of strength, and is a flaw that she has to work on, work on building herself up to hold her own even if she doesn't fight, but just standing up for herself. It's actually meant to be like that ;) We saw in a few of her past incarnations she stands up to people, she even snapped at Rose, here she's been beaten down by River, repeatedly, and torn apart by the amnesia, it'll take a while to get over that and get stronger :) It can't realistically happen over night, but it WILL happen as I've mentioned a few times before, we WILL see a stronger Angel :) So...I can say 3 things. 1. We WILL see an Angel who stands up for herself in the future. 2. We'll find out her thoughts on how River treats her in TWORS in a bit of dialogue that might make a few people quite happy ;) And 3. I DO have a scene written out of a confrontation between Angel and River (to be adapted for the right episode) that will actually make River a bit concerned that she may have gone a little too far and pushed Angel too much at one point. Just keep in mind that the Angel we see here is NOT the original 11th Angel, who was very confident and strong and take charge. This Angel is the result of circumstances getting the best of her :( She'll definitely grow and grow stronger very soon, she's had 200 years of the Doctor helping her after all ;)
> 
> Now, for this chapter...Lol, oh Val, got it a bit wrong there didn't you? :) We also got a little bit of fluff here too ;) I was really disappointed that they had such a big gap in time for the show, the 200 years that we didn't get to see. For the Doctor and Angel being alone and just having each other during it, I could see the Doctor using every second to spare to help Angel :) Awww :) But we don't get to see it :( So I'm going to try to mention what they did during the 200 years as much as I can in this episode to build a sort of general sense of it :)
> 
> I can say they STILL have one very BIG topic that they are avoiding. Craig seems to have picked up on it though so I think you might know what their big issue, their final issue to resolve, will be ;) And we'll be getting some more fluff and we'll get to see Angel and Stormy ;)


	40. Closing Time: Investigating

Craig tried to pick up the items that had fallen off the stand while Alfie cried at the noises, "Make a habit of hanging round in women's wear, sir?" George asked him suspiciously, he'd dealt with quite a few...less than desirable men in his job, more perverts than anything, but still...Kelly was sweet in an irritating teenager way. And it was his job to protect the employees from men such as this, men who might try to take advantage of them or harass them.

"I'm sorry, oh, shh, shh, Alfie, come on," Craig rocked the pram, desperately trying to keep Alfie calm and get him to stop crying. He knew what the girl and guard likely thought of him for his questions and he wasn't going to risk them thinking he was some awful man who might have kidnapped a child too or something.

"He's a pervert, look at him," Kelly remarked, stepping back from Craig even more, making George tense at how the man had clearly bothered her.

Suddenly Angel ran over, leading the Doctor with her, "Hello, everyone!" he called, "Here to help."

"Hello Angel," Kelly smiled, Angel was very nice.

Just that morning, when she'd been trying to carry a box Shona had left out side their store's doors, the girl had come over and helped her, held the door open for her and then helped her sort through it and restock a few things. It had been a great help especially when Shona hadn't shown up for work when she was supposed to. Really, Shona should have been there already, SHE was the supervisor, Shona was supposed to be the timely one while she was the tardy one.

"Hello, Doctor," George greeted amicably, he'd gotten to talk to the man a short while before his shift had started when they'd been getting some coffees from a cart.

The Doctor, as he'd insisted people call him, was...funny. He was funny and a good man from what he could see. He'd been raised to always show people respect until they proved not to deserve it, so seeing others offering respect to him, which the Doctor had, had been an excellent mark in his book. But it was more than that, having been assigned to the Ladies' wear department, he saw an awful lot of sexist, rude, pig-like men who treated women terribly or just had a slimy sense to them. But the Doctor...he'd gotten two coffees, which he'd thought was odd, but when the man turned around and walked over to Angel, offering her the first cup, the way that man had looked at her...like she was his entire world, how he'd treated her...with the utmost respect...THAT had been what won him over. The Doctor had even been kind and polite to Kelly as well even when the girl had been her typical abrasive self. And that was the making of a good and respectful man to him.

"Hello," Angel smiled at them in return.

"Has anyone seen a silver rat?" the Doctor asked, but they gave him a blank stare, "No, ok. Long shot, I see you've met our friend, Craig. Nice uniform George," he gave him the ok sign and whistled.

George laughed, "Thank you, Doctor. If he's with you two, that's alright then."

"Sorry," Kelly apologized to Angel as well, "I thought he was hassling me, 'cos that's the _last_ thing I need today. 'Cos Shona's still not turned up, right, so I'm doing twice the work for the same money."

"Shh!" the Doctor put his finger to his lips and she stopped talking.

"Please teach me how to do that," Craig begged.

"No," he said.

"Doctor!" Angel gave him a look, nodding at Kelly, ' _Shona STILL isn't here,_ ' she reminded him quietly, from how Kelly had described the woman amidst her complaining earlier, she got the impression for Shona not to show up, things were quite serious. For all they knew, Shona might be the next victim!

"Hold on..." he turned away from Craig, "Un-shh!"

"Shona's still not in?" Angel asked her.

"Yeah," Kelly sighed with a roll of her eyes, "She's meant to be in today but just...never showed up."

"Where did you last see her?" the Doctor asked, though Angel's gaze had already turned to the Ladies' changing rooms.

~8~

The Doctor, Craig, and Angel were walking along the changing room aisle, "How do you do that?" Craig asked the Doctor as he pushed the pram behind the Time Lords, "It's a power, isn't it, some sort of weird alien hypnotic power? I bet you excrete some sort of gas that makes people love you."

"Would that I could, Craig," the Doctor replied, "And besides, there's only one person I want to love me and, for some reason beyond even my reasoning abilities, she already does," he gave Angel a soft smile, looking at her as he squeezed her hand, the two of them walking side-by-side, him absently swinging her arm between them.

Angel just tugged his arm down a bit, leaning in and standing on her toes to give him a kiss on the cheek, "The feeling's mutual," she whispered to him.

He beamed, leaning in more to nuzzle his nose to hers in a small Eskimo kiss, before giving her another peck on the lips...and another...and one more, before he laughed and forced himself to pull away. He turned, heading to check the changing rooms for any clues, trying to distract himself from how good it felt to be able to kiss Angel like that again, to know that she wanted him to kiss her and touch her once more.

It had broken his hearts when she'd pulled away from him at the beginning, after he'd remembered, but he'd done it, he'd gotten them to that place where she was comfortable around him again. He'd finally reached that point where he could kiss her or touch her and she KNEW he wasn't trying to do it because his last self had but because HE wanted to. And God did he want to kiss her, he always wanted to, it didn't even matter where, hand, forehead, hair, cheek, neck, lips...though he was rather fond of kissing her on the lips, just...having that intimate gesture being intimate again and not tense...was wonderful. He loved taking advantage of that and...he'd realized, now he appreciated it more. He cherished those little moments, not that he hadn't before but he did SO MUCH more now, knowing how close he'd come to never being able to kiss her again, to be able to still do it. Every single kiss in the last 200 years was seared into his memory, permanently, he'd make SURE of that.

He shook his head, getting distracted by this thoughts, and turned to open a curtain beside him...

"Doctor don't!" Angel hissed, but it was too late, a woman screamed within.

"Sorry, madame," the Doctor quickly closed the curtain.

"Red would look lovelier on you," Angel called to the woman, not even needing to know what she was wearing to know red would be better. She didn't even have to see it in the Doctor's mind...she couldn't, she really couldn't because he was doing his very best to burn that image out of it...and then replace it with a fantasy of her wearing what the woman had been, which made her blush even redder than the lingerie the woman had been trying on.

"I'm right though, aren't I?" Craig asked.

The Doctor moved to peer into another room when Angel just put a hand on his, shaking her head before taking the lead, just pausing by the rooms to sense if anyone was there.

" _You_ love me, I've never excreted any weird alien gases at you," the Doctor reasoned.

"I _don't_ love you! Don't start that again."

Alfie gurgled, "Yes, I know. Of course he does," he turned to Craig, "Of course you do, we're partners."

"But I did exactly what you would have done, and I nearly got arrested!"

Alfie made some more noses and Angel smiled, "Alfie's of the belief that you should have more faith in yourself, and I quite agree," she looked at the Doctor and nodded him down to the last room. He pulled out his sonic and scanned it.

"Great, now my _baby_ is reviewing me…"

The Doctor nodded, "Definitely here," he smiled at Angel, "Brilliant," and kissed her forehead, "Right here last night, a Cyberman took Shona."

"A Cyberman...I thought it was a little silver rat?"

"It's not a rat. It's a Cybermat!"

"Alright don't have a go at me just 'cos I don't know the names."

"It's alright Craig," Angel walked over to the man, making the Doctor pout at how she wasn't standing beside him any longer, to put a hand on his shoulder, "Half the time he talks about science or some sort of technology and I haven't the faintest what he's saying."

"Really?" Craig stared at her.

She nodded, "I think he just likes to string words together to sound clever," she whispered conspiratorially, which made Craig start to smile at that.

"Oi!" the Doctor pouted.

But Angel turned around, smiling at him as she walked back over to him, feeling her hearts swell to see his expression grow happier the closer she came, "I love it when you do that though," she told him, taking his hands, "I still love it when you talk," she squeezed his hands, "I could listen to you ramble forever."

He grinned softly at that and tugged her closer by the hands, "Well I could kiss you forever..."

"Please don't," Craig cut in as the Doctor seemed to be about to lean in and do just that, "I'm thrilled really," he explained, "But...Cybermen, Cybermats...it doesn't sound good, does it?" he glanced at Alfie a moment and the Doctor nodded, now was not the time to get distracted, they had to make sure they stopped the Cybermen and whatever they were planning to do.

The Doctor turned and walked back out of the room, into the Ladies Department with Angel, Craig following him, "Cybermats are infiltrators," he explained to Craig, liking the wide open area of the department better than the small rooms, it was less likely for his voice to carry to other humans and alarm them, and...well...the smaller the space was the closer he wanted to pull Angel and the closer he wanted to pull her to him the more he never ever wanted to let her out of his arms, "Very small, very deadly...they collect power like bees collect pollen. One of them's been sucking the electrical energy from this area. But why a shop, you know, why not a nuclear power station?"

"Ok, why?"

"Please don't say..." Angel shook her head, sensing what he was going to say.

"Let's ask it," the Doctor grinned, "We wait for the shop to shut, we stake the place out, and grab ourselves a Cybermat!"

"And this is just a coincidence, is it?" Craig asked him.

"What is?"

"Aliens in Colchester? Aliens _twice_ in my life, happening to me just when you two turn up."

"Craig they were here long before we showed up," Angel said, more for the Doctor's benefit than Craig's.

But then Alfie started fussing, "Shh, shh," Craig tried to calm him, "Look what you've done!" he tried to comfort Alfie.

"It's his nappy, he's mentioned it twice," the Doctor replied.

"I don't speak Baby, do I?"

Angel just smiled at him, "There should be a changing station by electrical goods."

Craig rolled his eyes, "And of course, _you'd_ know that," he sighed, grumbling about psychics, not even thinking she might have looked at a map of the store earlier, before heading off, "Come on, Alfie."

"Craig it's a coincidence," the Doctor called after him, "It happens. It's what the Universe does for..." he trailed off, seeing Angel looking at something that was making her expression fade a little bit, and followed her gaze to see Amy and Rory walking down the way, clearly shopping, Rory carrying the bags.

A little girl ran over to Amy, "Can I have your autograph please?"

"Yeah," Amy smiled, "Sure," she took the notepad.

"...fun," he breathed.

"What's your name?" Amy asked.

"Ellie," the girl replied.

Amy nodded, signing her autograph, "I like your hairband."

Ellie beamed, "Thank you!"

The Doctor opened his mouth, as if to call out to them, when Angel took his hand. He looked at her, watching her smile lightly at them making their own lives, living, and smiled as well. They hadn't actually popped in to say hello to the Ponds. With them being the last companions they'd had, having been able to give them a proper goodbye...they just...wanted to let them settle into their lives, start living their human adventures. The others...they were all still semi-connected to aliens, Jack with Torchwood, Sarah Jane with Mr. Smith, Martha with UNIT, even Donna helped out all three from time to time with her very slight psychic abilities and a bit of the Doctor in her to boot. But the Ponds...the closest they had to alien contact was if River should ever pop in to say hello.

They just...wanted to give the Ponds their best chance to have a long, human life, to be able to enjoy their time as a married couple, even if it was hard to give them both up.

Angel suddenly pulled him back behind a rack of clothes as the two turned, hiding.

"Alright?" Rory asked.

"There you go," Amy handed the pad back.

"Thank you," Ellie smiled.

Amy nodded at her and turned to leave with Rory. The little girl, Ellie, turned and pointed at Amy and then towards the Doctor and Angel. The Doctor frowned, pointing at the two of them, when Angel shook her head and nodded over their shoulder. He looked behind them to see a promotional ad with Amy's face for a perfume called Petrichor, the slogan going, 'For the girl who's tired of waiting.'

"Amelia Pond," the Doctor smiled.

"That's Amelia _Williams_ ," Angel corrected him lightly.

He nodded, "Too right."

~8~

Just after closing would find the Doctor and Craig hid on one side of the perfume counter, Angel and Alfie behind a display as George walked by, on patrol. The Doctor clutched the net that Angel had been holding earlier to his chest "Ok, shh," he whispered, getting up as soon as George had passed. He pulled out the sonic and started scanning, "Right. Let's be having you then, Cybermat."

Alfie started crying at the noise, Craig frowned, "Can't you put that on quiet?"

"No! It's a sonic screwdriver. Sonic equals sound!" he took an item out of his coat, "Take this. I got it on my discount, 10 percent off. It's a papoose," he moved to drape it around Craig.

"Why do I need a papoose?" Craig asked, starting to fuss himself at how the Doctor was trying to attach it to him.

"Alfie wants to closer," Angel explained as she wheeled the pram over.

"You're _far_ too slow when he summons you," the Doctor agreed.

"When's he going to stop giving me marks?" Craig complained.

"Never," the Doctor said, before swallowing hard, a sad smile on his face, "That's parenthood," and what he wouldn't give to have his daughter giving him marks like that, he'd love it, because it would mean she was there with them again, "Couldn't you have got a babysitter?" the Doctor asked when Alfie got louder as he lifted him up to put him in the strap, "No, _any_ babysitter...doesn't have to be a hot one."

"I told everyone I know I didn't need their help this weekend, they won't answer my calls. I didn't know there was going to be an invasion of Cyberman," Alfie started fussing in the papoose, "Shh."

~8~

George was checking the fuse box in the basement, tapping one of the fluorescent lights as it flickered. It came on momentarily so he pulled out his torch just to be sure he'd have light as he moved to check the corridor.

~8~

"It's ok," the Doctor tried to assure Alfie as he fussed, Craig trying his best to calm his son.

"Doctor!" Angel called.

He spun around and she tossed him the net and pointed. He turned and dove, catching the Cybermat as it darted past with the net, perfect timing, "Ha ha!" he whispered, "That's very odd. It must be on low power. Or I'm better at that than I remember."

Angel smiled, "I'd go with the second one."

He winked at her, ' _It's always that when you're around Nella,_ ' he added to her in her mind.

' _Because I'm your good luck charm,_ ' she nodded.

' _No,_ ' he reached out and took her hand, squeezing it, ' _Because you make me faster and stronger and...better when you're around. I want to be...more. For you._ '

' _I'm not sure that's possible,_ ' she told him, ' _You're already the most amazing man in the Universe._ '

He beamed at that, lifting her hand to kiss the palm of it before he turned to Craig, holding up the Cybermat for him to see.

"Oh, is that it?" Craig asked, unimpressed with the little silver rat thing.

"Yeah," he nodded.

"Oh, it's quite cute look at that. Look, Alfie," he lifted the boy up a bit, turning so he could see, "Look."

Just then the Cybermat opened its mouth to show two rows of _sharp_ teeth. Craig screamed and the Doctor quickly soniced it off.

~8~

George walked down one of the corridors but stopped when he heard a clanking noise. He turned around, trying to follow it, not seeing the tall unmoving shadow behind him...

~8~

"Metal rat," Craig panicked, gasping from his shock, he was NOT expecting that, "Real mouth! Metal rat, real mouth, metal rat, real mouth!"

"Stop screaming," the Doctor tried to calm him, "STOP SCREAMING! Shh!"

...and then there was a scream.

The Doctor spun around as Angel grabbed his hand, "Come on!" she cried, pulling him down the aisles of clothes, towards he scream. Craig followed, clutching Alfie to him in the papoose. They followed Angel all the way to the basement, the Doctor whipping out his sonic to use as a light.

"Hold on," Angel called, putting a hand on his arm to lower the sonic, to turn it off, not wanting the noise to alert whatever had made the scream. She held out her hand, focusing, clenching her hand into a fist until it glowed gold before throwing her hand up. A small ball that looked like a miniature sun hovered in the air before them, giving off a warm golden light.

"Thanks love," the Doctor kissed her cheek and they continued on, the small ball floating before them, following them, like a gravity globe. It was a little trick Angel had been working on the last few years, something to give them light in the darkness. He stopped short, seeing George's torch on the floor, "George!" and then George's _body_ , "George..." they ran over, the Doctor bending down to examine George...

When Angel suddenly pulled him back and threw out her hand. There was a boom as the Cyberman that had nearly attacked the Doctor stumbled backwards into the wall, the shield Angel had made coming up _just_ in time to stop it. Unfortunately, the force of the Cyber hitting the wall cracked the ceiling and a pile of concrete and rubble fell down in their way, blocking them from George.

"Doctor!" they could hear Craig call behind them, having joined them when the ceiling had collapsed, "Angel!" he ran over to them, "What happened?"

"Oh, I was nearly chipped, chapped...chopped!" the Doctor replied, still a bit in shock that he'd come so close to being attacked by a Cyberman. How had it gotten there?! He'd fused the teleport! They couldn't have fixed it so soon! Angel helped him up and he gave her a small peck on the lips for it, "Thank you dear," he sighed, shaking his head, "The Cyberman...it killed George, it'll be taking him back to the ship."

"The Cybermen are _here_!?" Craig gasped, "But you said…"

"Yeah, I know what I said, I say a lot of things!" the Doctor scanned the collapse with the sonic, "But I fused the teleport it should have taken them _days_ to repair."

"Are you ok?" Craig frowned, seeing the Doctor getting worked up.

Well why wouldn't he?! He'd popped in for a quick visit, just to say thanks, Angel had made him aware that all the people who came to Demons Run really DID deserve a true and proper thank you from them both. He'd come in for a visit...ended up having some sort of danger arise. He'd hoped to solve it quickly, and it just kept escalating! And now the Cybermen were advancing faster than they should be and he had no idea what was going on and it was going to take even LONGER now to work it out and he just...he just wanted to go. He just wanted to pop in, say hello, and leave, get back to finding Ayla.

He didn't want this. This ALWAYS happened! Every trip to try and find her...ended up being an adventure. Normally he'd be just tickled that he was able to help people when it happened, but they kept taking ages to resolve. And every single second not in the TARDIS looking for Ayla was another second the Silence were closer to finding her first. He REFUSED to let his daughter end up like River but...he was getting desperate. He just...he wanted his little girl back, and things like this...it just kept getting in the way of that. It was really starting to get to him.

"We should be dead..." the Doctor sighed, his hand taking Angel's, "But its arm..." he frowned in thought, recalling what it had looked like from the small glimpse he'd gotten of it when it had moved to attack, "It was damaged, it was too slow, old spare parts. Must have changed those missing people."

"They changed the missing into Cybermen?" Craig grimaced, "What if they get you too!?"

"We're not exactly compatible," the Doctor waved him off, "But why are they using spare parts, _why_? Everything I find out makes less sense!"

"Doctor, listen to me. If the Cybermen are here, then we're not safe, we've got to go. We've got to go back to base."

"We've got a base?" he turned to Craig, "When did we get a base?"

"I think he meant his house," Angel remarked.

"Oh right," the Doctor nodded, "Then off to base!"

~8~

The Doctor was playing with the Cybermat as he sat at the table in Craig's kitchen, mixing up some sort of concoction with various items from the cupboards. Angel was beside him, keeping watch over the Cybermat should it reactivate while he worked on other things.

"I'm going down the shops, we're out of milk," Craig told them, heading for the door, "You know what to do if he cries," he tossed a small baby monitor to the Doctor.

"No!" he called back, catching it.

"Me neither," Craig called from the hallway.

"Won't need that," Angel remarked as she started getting up.

"What do you mean?" he asked her, frowning when he saw her rise...only for Alfie to start crying a moment later, which made him laugh, "Ah, right, psychic."

"Thief," she smiled at him, leaning over to giving him a kiss on the cheek, "I'll go check on him," she turned the monitor off so as not to distract him, taking it with her just to be safe he wouldn't 'pull a Rory' and listen in on her, she knew he'd be too distracted by the Cybermat to really listen in mentally either, "You keep playing Mad Scientist," she gave him a small wave as she stepped out of the room, heading up the stairs and back to the nursery.

She gently pushed the door open, peering in at Alfie as he laid in his crib, crying softly, more fussy than anything. She took a moment to really look at the nursery, there was a mobile of the moon and stars over the crib and she couldn't help the pit in her stomach when she thought back to Ayla, her first stars, her little purple cot, and that entire mess. She swallowed hard as she looked up to see there were even projections of stars on the ceiling. She smiled sadly at that, but then she heard Alfie start to cry a bit louder.

"Hello Alfie," she called, entering. He gurgled, "Oh, right, sorry, Stormageddon," she laughed at that, that little boy was amusing and...she couldn't help but think about Ayla, about how she'd called them 'Squishy Bed' and 'Warm Thing' when she'd been born. Given the Doctor's scatterbrain, she wondered what other amusing things her daughter might have said...she'd never know would she? She shook her head, not wanting to think about that when Alfie was crying, "I'm the Angel…the Doctor's…" Alfie made a noise, cutting her off, and she laughed, "Yes, the Doctor's pretty lady. I just wanted to check on you, I'm a mess when children are crying," she walked over to the crib, scooping up a small stuffed bunny on the way that she could tell was Alfie's favorite.

"Shhh," she whispered, "There, there, it'll be ok, it's time to sleep though..." but Alfie just looked up at her and she smiled down sadly at him, she'd never really been able to get her nephew to go to sleep either, "You've got a lot to look forward to, you know. An absolutely fantastic normal human life on Earth, the most wonderful life on the most extraordinary planet," she laughed, shaking her head fondly, "You're SO lucky the Doctor didn't come check on you, right now he'd be spouting something about mortgage repayments and nine to five jobs and some rubbish about persistent nagging senses of spiritual emptiness," Alfie giggled, "Yes, he is rather like a child himself, isn't he?" Alfie seemed to nod, "But I'll tell you something, he's very old…so am I…" she trailed off, getting slightly lost in her thoughts as she pondered her own age.

"I am...so old," she blinked sadly, "And I can feel it...the end getting closer..." she rubbed his stomach softly and absently as she continued to grow more distant as she spoke, "On Gallifrey, my home, when you reach 1,000 years old, that's important. When the Doctor reached 1000 about...103 years ago, I too him to see a series of supernovas that only happen once every 100 billion years or so...just to see him smile…" she trailed off, thinking about his smile, though her own grew more solemn as she heard Alfie coo at her, "No, no we didn't go home for his birthday, our home was lost long ago," Alfie tilted his head, curious and questioning, "There was a big fight and…" she swallowed hard, no, he didn't need to hear that, "I never actually thought I'd live to see my 1000th birthday because of that, but I survived, had hope to see it one day…" she sighed, "Not anymore…I'm 996 Alfie," it was another reason why she hadn't wanted the Ponds to see her and the Doctor. She'd worked it out, why Amy and Rory and River were at the diner, why they looked at her like they were seeing a ghost, they knew about her death at the lake, they'd witnessed it. She couldn't risk them learning nearly 200 years had passed for her and the Doctor and saying something about it, she guessed, from how they'd asked her her age, that they'd seen a future version of her and, with how she felt, it was a version very close to her current age, "I was only four years away…and I don't think I'll get to see it."

She felt it in her bones, one of the most powerful feelings she'd ever had. It made sense, most of her feelings were about others, were like a pit in her stomach or a tension or something...but this was about HER. This was about her death, it made sense it would hit her harder. And...every time they set down on Earth she just...felt it getting closer and closer. She knew she'd been running, for so long, letting the Doctor lead her everywhere...but all it did...was mean that it was more time that they were in danger, it was just her putting something off that HAD to happen. It was a fixed point and the longer she waited, the harder it was to bring herself to go to it.

And she knew she had to, the longer she waited, the more dangerous it was.

~8~

The Doctor pilfered through the cupboards, trying to find one more item, not even noticing the Cybermat switch back on behind him...

~8~

Angel reached into the crib and picked Alfie up, "Oh, Stormy, look at you," she smiled fondly at him, bobbing him slightly, "You're such a tiny little thing, aren't you?" she held him closer, Ayla had been smaller, "But just you wait, one day you'll be a big boy, but...don't grow up too fast yeah?"

She...she was starting to feel like she was talking more to Ayla than Alfie at the moment, she...didn't want to miss her daughter growing up, all those firsts...but finding out that Ayla had escaped...she had to be old enough to do it. And given how the security on Demons Run had been, how difficult it had been for the Doctor to even _find_ them...she was so scared that Ayla was older, like a teenager, perhaps even an adult...she didn't want to miss THAT much of her daughter's life.

"You've got all the time in the world," she continued, "You're whole entire life before you. You can do whatever you want, be whoever you want. You could be a teacher or a doctor or an astronaut," she laughed, looking down at him as he started to cheer at that last one, "Oh, is THAT the one? You want to go out there, fly among the stars?" she glanced at the ceiling, at the small projections, "The stars don't really look a thing like that though, they're much more spectacular," she reached into the small pocket of her dress...and pulled out Amy-O's sonic probe that she'd snuck out of the TARDIS.

She'd noticed it quite soon after leaving Torchwood, that Amy-O must have dropped it or something. She'd been about to give it to the Doctor, knowing he was quite awed with how Amy-O had been able to make one and thought he might like to take it apart and examine it...but...something had stopped her. It was like on Satellite 5, with the bracelets Jack had left on the console, the ones she'd turned into teleport rings...she just...couldn't let go of it, couldn't give it up. So...she kept it on her. She didn't know why, she rarely ever used it, at all really, she could unlock most doors with the Vortex, teleport onto the other side of the ones she couldn't, and didn't really need the probe with the Doctor around but she hadn't been able to leave it too far away from her.

She flicked it on so the projection of the stars shifted to a far more realistic representation, "That's better," she nodded, slipping the probe back into her pocket, "You know, when the Doctor was little like you, he used to dream of the stars. And do you know, he did it, he saw his dream come true, got out there and flew among them," Alfie gurgled, excited that he might have the chance to do that as well one day when he was older, "I hope you have as much fun as he does, Alfie," she kissed him on the head.

~8~

The Cybermat darted off the table and scooted across the floor with a clank. The Doctor froze, hearing that, and turned around, looking at the empty table in horror.

~8~

"You should be a bit easier on your dad you know, take it from me...the time you get with him and your mum is...precious, SO precious," Angel rocked Alfie, "All you can ask is that he tries his best, and he's trying harder than that," she nodded as he gurgled, "I know, but it's not his fault, he's very new at this. Mum's get...9 months to get ready and to take care of you, to get to know you, dad's have to wait till you're born to even get to hold you. You know, in a way, I'm sort of new at this too, being a mum," Alfie let out a little squeal, "No, really, I _am_. I was a mother for an hour, nearly 200 years ago," Alfie sighed and she smiled lightly, "Thank you Alfie, I hope she thinks so too one day..."

And then she tensed, a pit forming in her stomach, "We should go, now."

She quickly rushed out of the room, ducking into the bathroom when she heard a beeping noise approaching. She peered through a crack in the door she'd closed to see the Cybermat zoom by and go right into Alfie's room before running towards the stairs.

"Angel!" she heard the Doctor shouting as she ran down the stairs, seeing him appear right at the bottom, "Angel the Cybermat's…"

"Alive, I know!" she cried, trying to be careful as she rushed down with Alfie in her arms...only to trip on the second to last step and fall forward...right into the Doctor's arms as he caught her, turning her with the motion, as though he were dipping her to the side.

He had to laugh a little at that, "Still clumsy as ever," he murmured, 200 years later and she was still uncoordinated...thinking about it, the most coordinated he'd ever seen her in this incarnation was when she'd been pregnant (not that he'd known she was at the time), but she wouldn't ever risk Ayla being harmed because she'd tripped over something.

"Still easily distracted," she reminded, "The Cybermat!" she pointed with her free hand up the stairs as the beeping sounded and the Cybermat appeared at the top of the stairs, chomping its mouth.

"Oh, no you don't," the Doctor muttered, setting Angel back up to her feet with a spin, whipping out the sonic and flashing the sonic at the Cybermat within seconds, his free hand taking Angel's once the Cybermat froze, "Come on. Run! It's only stunned!" he led them to the kitchen and outside, spinning around to take Angel's face in his hands, looking her over to make sure she was ok, "You're ok," he breathed, relieved, leaning in to rest his head to hers, "It's going to be ok," he nodded, "Good, good," he pulled away, looking at her, "We're going to stay outside. Don't worry about it…"

And then they heard a click of the door locking behind them, and looked over to see the door to the house had shut behind them...the sonic that the Doctor had dropped in his rush to get the door open locked within.

~8~

Craig stepped through the front door, "I'm back!" he called, setting down his mobile and keys on a dresser and walking in, not noticing his mobile buzzing.

~8~

"Come on, Craig, pick up, pick up, pick up, pick up!" the Doctor muttered as he spoke into the house phone he'd grabbed with him for some reason.

~8~

Craig frowned as he checked the first floor rooms for the Doctor and Angel, "Doctor? Angel?" he walked into the kitchen and put the milk away. He turned around...only for the Cybermat to attack, flying for his throat. He fell back onto the floor, just managing to hold the gnashing teeth back.

"Craig, don't worry, Alfie is fine," the Doctor's voice came over the answer phone, "But on no account enter the house."

"Doctor!" he struggled to get out, looking to the side where he could see the Doctor on the phone and Angel holding Alfie outside.

The Doctor turned and spotted them, his eye widening, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!"

"Help me!"

Angel quickly passed Alfie over to the Doctor and disappeared in a swirl of gold as he moved to put the baby onto a small swing. He turned to see Angel reappear inside the house and kneel by Craig, before he spit into his hands and rubbed them together, jumping through the glass door.

"Craig!" he shouted, lurching forward...only to stop short when he saw Angel holding a lifeless Cybermat and Craig lying on the ground, panting, "Oh…"

"Where's Alfie?" Craig looked up.

"He's safe," the Doctor muttered distractedly, stepping aside and nodding outside where Alfie was just watching them, before turning to Angel, "How did you…"

The hand holding the Cybermat flashed gold a moment, sending a jolt of energy into the Cybermat once more, "Energy short circuited it."

He nodded, starting to smile, "Handy..." he took her other hand, "To know, though it probably should have been obvious eh?" she gave him a curious look as to what he meant and he grinned wider, placing her free hand on the center of his chest, holding it there, his thumb stroking over her knuckles in the process, "I feel electrified when you touch me too," he whispered, "Shocked in the best way ever," he winked at her, making her smile.

"Is it definitely dead?" Craig asked as he pushed himself up.

"Inactive, yes," the Doctor sighed, reluctantly pulling away from Angel to scoop up the sonic and scan the Cybermat with it, just to be safe, he didn't want it to try and attack Angel like it had Craig, "Technically never been alive. It was," he used air quotes, "'Playing possum' before, to take us by surprise. Bravo," he clapped.

"Whoo!" Craig closed his eyes and took a breath before remembering, "Alfie!" and ran outside.

~8~

The Doctor was sitting on the sofa, working on the Cybermat, using a loupe as Craig walked around, trying to shush Alfie, "I'm knackered," Craig muttered, glancing at the Cybermat, "That thing was eating up the electricity?"

"And transmitting it up to the Cyber-Ship," the Doctor nodded as Angel set a small cup of tea before him, sitting down on a small armchair at the end of the coffee table, curling up with a cup of tea of her own. The Doctor looked at her, frowning at how she hadn't sat next to him, but she just gave him a reassuring smile and a subtle nod to Craig. He wasn't really sure what that meant, but he trusted her that it wasn't because she DIDN'T want to sit by him, "But why? Why do they need power, why are those conversions not complete yet, and what are they _doing_ up there?"

"You said you were going to look at its brain."

"I accidently wiped its brain," Angel said sheepishly, sipping her tea, she hadn't known how much energy it would take to stop the Cybermat when she'd grabbed it. She knew it fed on energy so she'd tried to overload it, seemed she'd used a bit too much.

"Which is _perfect_ for us," the Doctor assured her, "'Cos now I can reprogram it, use it as a weapon against them."

Craig plopped down onto the sofa beside the Doctor, making the man look over and nod to himself, now seeing why Angel had chosen to sit where she had, the sofa was just big enough for two, "The Cybermat came after us?"

"No, after _me_."

"Us," Angel corrected.

"Yes," he nodded, "Us," before shaking his head, "Not...not US us," he gestured between him and Craig, "US," he nodded at Angel.

"They sent it after us?" Craig asked, not quite noticing the Doctor's gestures as he'd closed his eyes to rest them for a moment.

"After Angel and I. Because of us, you and Alfie nearly died," he pulled the loupe from his eye, "Do you still feel safe with me, Craig?"

"Depends," Craig joked, "Angel going to be around?"

Angel smiled, "I'm not going anywhere," she said softly, doing her best to keep her voice from giving anything away. It had taken 200 years to get to that point...

"There you go," he nodded, "Sides, you can't help who your mates are."

"No!" the Doctor shook his head, "I am a stupid and selfish man. Always have been. I should have made you go, I should never have come here."

" _I_ wanted to come here," Angel reminded him, it wasn't his fault, this had been something SHE insisted on.

"And what would have happened if you hadn't come?" Craig added, "Who else knows about Cybermen and teleports?"

Angel opened her mouth to say Jack and Donna and Martha and UNIT and Torchwood and Sarah Jane and...

But the Doctor spoke first, "I put people in danger," he shook his head.

"And I keep them out of it," Angel leaned over slightly to rest her hand on his arm a moment, rubbing it before she sat back again, sipping her tea.

"Stop beating yourself up!" Craig agreed, "If it wasn't for you this whole planet would be an absolute _ruin_."

The Doctor put the Cybermat down, "Craig, the thing is...I don't know how long I'll be here for," he sighed, "There's this group, the Silence, and...they want me dead Craig, and probably Angel along with me. They've sent assassins after me, but they went after Angel instead," he swallowed hard, "They took our daughter to try and get her to...kill me first," he shook his head, "They believe 'Silence will fall when the question is asked…'" he scoffed, "Don't even know what 'the question' is or how to stop it being asked. I may not be able to save anyone anymore if it _does_ happen…"

"Doctor?" Angel cut in gently.

He looked at her and then back at Craig to see the man was asleep, Alfie on his chest, sleeping too. He smiled wistfully at the sight, taking a moment to imagine him and Ayla like that, before he sighed. And then a blanket came down over the two of them humans and he looked over to see Angel had stood and put a blanket on the little family before she went to sit back down on the armchair.

He smiled at her for her consideration and got up, setting the Cybermat on the table and moving to the armchair as well. He sat on the arm of it...letting himself slide down onto the chair with her, wrapping his arms around her as she turned into him, cuddling closer. He closed his eyes, feeling her curling her fingers around one of his braces, pulling herself closer to him as he held her tighter. He rested his head to her temple, kissing it, before returning his head to hers, letting his eyes drift closed as they both just...took a moment to be together, both knowing that, come morning, they would be facing yet another deadly enemy of theirs and just wanting a moment of comfort in each other's arms.

~8~

The Doctor closed the front door to Craig's house behind them as he and Angel stepped out of the house that morning. Angel took a breath and handed the reprogrammed Cybermat back to the Doctor who held a remote control, "Safe mode," he remarked.

She smiled, "Clever of you."

He grinned and patted the Mat, "Come along, Bitey."

~8~

Craig woke up with the sun in his eyes, hearing Sophie on the answer phone, "...so I'll be back about ten, 'cos Melina's totally gone off on one, she's going to kill David Jenkins. I'm stupid to worry, I can't wait to get home to my special boys!"

Craig leapt to his feet and saw the Cybermat missing and the house all too quiet, "Oh, no, no, no! Doctor? Angel!" he ran through the house, looking for them.

"Love you Alfie. Love you Craig!" Sophie finished.

Craig spun around in the kitchen to see a note on blue paper in silver ink on the fridge, 'Dear Craig, Gone to stop Cybermen. Sorry. Goodbye. The Doctor and Angel.'

"You idiots!" he shouted and ran out the door.

~8~

The Doctor hurried into the Ladies' department store with Angel, Val just getting there for opening, "Morning!" she called cheerily. Really, she probably _should_ have been worried at seeing the Doctor spending so much time with the babysitter, but really, though Angel was the sweetest girl she'd met in a LONG time, the girl didn't seem to be quite his...type, gender wise, so she wasn't worried. She was probably a friend of the family…or a sister or someone, she hadn't gotten to really ask much, things like that were quite private and between the two men, who was she to pry into their private lives?

"Morning," Angel smiled at her.

"Teleport's still fused," the Doctor began, walking in between Val and Angel, speaking more to Angel than Val, "They didn't repair it. So the Cyberman last night, how did it get down here, how did it get out? And why...why am I asking _you_?" he glanced at Val.

"You found the silver rat!" Val pointed at the Cybermat.

"But where are the silver men?" he wondered, glancing at Angel.

She took a breath and nodded, leading him off.

~8~

Craig stood in the kitchen, putting Alfie back into the papoose after changing them both, "Sorry, Alfie, I can't leave you here on your own. There's something up with Angel, we both see that don't we? And the Doctor rushing off into danger, well, we owe him. I wouldn't have you or mummy if it wasn't for him and Angel! They need us. They _always_ need someone and the Doctor just can't admit it. I promise _nothing's_ going to happen to you!" he kissed Alfie on the cheek, "Alright, come on, here we go," he took a breath and left the house.

~8~

The Doctor stood in the Ladies' changing room with the Cybermat, Angel leading him to the last room again, "Secondary teleport?" he guessed out loud, "No, there is no other teleport, they must have had a backup system, something complicated, something powerful, something shielded. Something like..."

"A door," Angel said.

"A door, yes!" the Doctor nodded, "But where?"

"Doctor," Angel called, nodding at the mirror on the wall of the last room, "A _door_."

"A disillium-bonded steel door disguised as a wall!" the Doctor realized, "That is _cheating_!" he soniced it and it swung open to reveal a roughly carved tunnel, "So...it didn't teleport _down_. It climbed _up_."

Angel nodded, taking a breath, "Shall we?"

He nodded, stepping past the door, taking the lead, and walking slowly down the tunnel, scanning with the sonic, neither of them willing to use Angel's lights so as not to attract unwanted attention. They could hear a faint hum of machinery so the sonic wouldn't be as noticable. They went down a small incline and into a large cavern where the damaged Cyber-Ship was hidden. The Doctor glanced at Angel before they headed over to the ship, wandering through it till Angel took the lead, bringing them to the conversion room.

He whistled, "Well, well, well. You have been busy."

~8~

Craig ran into the Ladies' department, "Doctor! Angel!"

"Another row?" Val asked him sympathetically, seeing him all flustered, "He went in the changing rooms with that Angel girl, something about silver men…"

"Oh, God, no," Craig gasped, "Val, I need you to look after Alfie for me, ok?" he took off his papoose, "Please look after him, they need me," he handed Alfie to Val and ran off, "Don't follow me!"

"I wasn't intending to," Val smiled, cooing at Alfie, really hoping that Angel could help them sort their row.

~8~

Angel frowned, kneeling in the dirt on the floor where a small plastic badge was half-buried. She reached out and pulled out George's name tag before spinning around as a Cyberman entered.

"You have come to us," it stated as Angel stood and the Doctor moved to stand before her just a bit.

"Took me a while," the Doctor nodded, "Getting old, lots on my mind," he reached behind him and took Angel's hand, sensing her lingering fear of the metal men, "Let's see, this ship crashed here centuries ago, no survivors, but the systems are dormant waiting for power. And then the council stick a load of new cables right on top of you. Bitey wakes up and channels the power, you start crewing up from the shop as best you can, not enough power, not enough parts."

"When we are ready we will emerge. We will convert this planet to Cyber-Form."

"What, the six of you?"

"You know that is enough. You know us. You are the Doctor and the Angel."

"Correct. And the Doctor always gives you a choice. Deactivate yourself, or _I_ deactivate you," he aimed the sonic at the Cyberman who took a step back.

"Doctor," Angel whispered as another Cyberman entered behind them.

~8~

Craig ran through the changing rooms, "Angel? Doctor?" he turned to the last room, seeing the entrance to the tunnel. He looked around, grabbing a handheld UPC scanner before entering the tunnel as well.

~8~

Angel was suddenly ripped away from the Doctor by the Cyberman, "Doctor!" she shouted, when the Cyberman covered her mouth with his hand. The Doctor spun around with the sonic but another grabbed him from behind as well, holding his arms behind his back, making him drop the Cybermat.

' _Theta…_ ' Angel began.

' _Don't,_ ' he called, knowing she wanted to use her powers to get them both out, ' _Secret weapon. But be careful. The Cybermen are more powerful and complex than a Cybermat, the energy might just be enough to revitalize the ship permanently…_ '

She nodded understanding, forcing down the power buzzing inside her at the threat against them.

"He must be the new leader," one of the Cybermen stated.

"No," the main Cyberman replied, "They are not like us. Brain and binary vascular system incompatible."

Angel glanced to the side where she could see Craig peeking in from another room.

"They will be discarded," the Cyberman holding her said, "Other body parts may be of use."

Craig burst into the room with the scanner, "Oi, Cybermen! Get off my planet, or I activate this."

"Craig, stop this, get out!" the Doctor shouted as Angel's eyes widened before she winced, closing her eyes as a vision hit her…

… _Craig was being forced into the Cyber-Conversion unit_ …

'… _your designation is Cyber-Controller_ …'

… _Alfie started to cry, his wails echoing through the room_ …

"It's like you said, Doctor, got to believe you can do it!" Craig said, snapping her out of her vision.

"You located us?" the Cyberman holding the Doctor asked.

"Teleport in the lift, bit rubbish. That little Cybermat never stood a chance. See what you're dealing with?"

"You are compatible," the Cyberman holding Angel stated, "You are intelligent."

The main Cyberman touched his hand to his chest panel and shot electricity at Craig, causing him to drop the scanner before grabbing him and pulling him forward.

"No, I'm _not_ intelligent, you don't want _me_ ," Craig called.

"Do not fear," the Doctor's Cyberman replied, "We will take your fear from you. You will be like us. You will be _more_ than us."

The Cyberman hit a button and opened one of the conversion chambers as Craig looked on in horror, "No, no, no, no."

"Your designation is Cyber-Controller," the Cyberman holding him stated, "You will lead us, we will conquer this world."

Craig was forced into the Cyber-Conversion unit, holding him in.

"Doctor!" Craig shouted, "Angel!"

"Craig!" the Doctor struggled.

"Do something! Please!" the clamps started to press on his arms and legs, holding him in, "DOCTOR! Angel!"

"Craig, don't worry," the Doctor managed to pull the remote from his pocket, "I've reprogrammed the Cybermat, it'll drain their power!" he pressed a button and the Cybermat began to scuttle across the floor…until the Cyberman by the unit stepped on it.

"You have failed, Doctor," it reported, "Begin conversion! Phase one: Cleanse the brain of emotions."

"No!" the Doctor cried as Angel struggled in the Cyberman's hold, "Craig! Fight it! They can't convert you if you fight back! You're strong, _don't_ give in to it!"

"Help me!" Craig begged, feeling the energy coursing through him.

"Think of Sophie," the Doctor ordered, glancing at Angel, "Think of Alfie, don't let them take it all away!"

"Make it stop," he begged, "Please make it stop!"

"Please, listen to me! I believe in you, I believe you can do this! I've always believed in all of you, all my life! CRAIG!"

The headpiece closed around Craig, welding itself shut down the middle of his face as Craig slowly went limp.

"Begin full conversion," the Cyberman stated and the machinery started to whirr...

~8~

Val tried to comfort Alfie as he started crying, "Don't worry, it's just a little light going out."

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little bit more fluff here ;) I was SO torn between having Angel run over and glomp the Ponds or having them hide away :( In the end...Angel realized that they knew about her death, and didn't want to risk them saying anything about it (she worked out the comment about her age being important) in front of the Doctor. And she also wanted to give them time to get used to their lives on Earth before disrupting it again :( Like with Donna/Martha/Jack they all got the chance to have more than a few months to adapt to life on Earth again :)
> 
> I'm very excited for the next chapter though, we'll be dealing with the last major issue that the Doctor's aware of for Thella :) I can say that the epic fluff will officially start once everything (which also includes Angel's death) is resolved :)


	41. Closing Time: Confessing

Angel's eyes snapped open and a swirl of gold flared up around her, the force of its sudden appearance blasting the Cyberman back, away from her. She lunged to the side and pressed her hand to the wall by a monitor, it sprang to life, a golden glow, the energy rebooting the system just enough to get footage...of Alfie and Val.

"Unknown soundwave detected," the Cyberman by the unit stated, unable to fire its weapon at Angel as it had used the energy it had in store to try and control Craig, the others being not as powered up either, there was no way to stop her.

"It is the sound of fear," the Doctor's Cyberman reported, "It is irrelevant. We will remove all fear."

"Alfie!" the Doctor shouted as though Alfie could hear him, "I'm so sorry!" he winced at the sound of the baby crying, "Alfie, please stop! We can't help him."

"But Alfie can," Angel told him and the Doctor looked at her, stunned, though he could see tears in her eyes at the noise, the poor baby crying, wanting his parent, scared.

"Emotions eradicated, conversion complete," the Cyberman assessed the progress of the unit.

But then...Craig's fingers twitched and an alarm blared.

"Alert: Emotional subsystems rebooting. This is impossible."

Energy crackled around the headpiece and the Doctor realized, "He can _hear_ him," he looked at Angel, "He can hear Alfie!" she nodded, closing her eyes and putting more power into the monitor, making the noise of Alfie's cries louder, "Oh, please, just give us this," he breathed, before tuning to Craig, yelling to him, "Craig, you wanted a chance to prove you're a dad. You're never going to get better one than this!"

A crack appeared down the center of the headpiece.

"What is happening?" Craig's Cyberman asked.

"What's happening, you metal moron? A _baby_ is crying. And you better watch out, 'cos guess what? Ha! Daddy's coming home!"

The headpiece opened to reveal Craig, "Alfie!" he struggled, fighting the machine, fighting to get back to his child, forcing it to overload, "Alfie, I'm here! I'm coming for you!"

The Cybermen staggered from the emotional onslaught that was filtering into them from Craig, they should have never hooked the man into their systems and connected him to them as a Controller.

"Yes, Craig!" the Doctor cheered.

The machine started to release Craig as the Doctor pulled himself free of the Cyberman, the metal man now distracted by its own pain, and ran to Angel to check on her, knowing that the Vortex and being around the Cybers couldn't be easy...and he'd seen her flinch when the Cyber had grabbed her.

"Alfie!" Craig continued to shove his way out of the machine.

"Alfie needs you!" Angel called, making the noise even _louder_.

"Emergency," one of the Cybers called, "Emotional influx!"

"I'm fine," Angel whispered to the Doctor, before nodding towards Craig, and the Doctor ran over to help him out of the machine.

"You've triggered a feedback loop into their emotional inhibitors," the Doctor explained quickly to the man, "All that stuff they cut out of themselves, now they're feeling it! Which means a very big explosion!"

"Overload, overload, overload," the Cybermen staggered around.

The Doctor ran back to Angel, grabbing her hand as he passed with Craig, all of them running to the doors, trying to open them.

"Get this open, we need to get to Alfie!" Craig demanded as the door remained shut.

"They've sealed the ship!" the Doctor realized as the heads of the Cybermen started to explode behind them, making Angel wince, her mind going back to Pete's World and what had happened then.

"We've got to get out of here!"

"I know!"

Two more heads exploded as the Doctor tried to figure out a way out. Angel just reached out and grabbed their arms, they disappeared in a swirl of gold, reappearing in the store lift just as the Cyber-Ship exploded beneath them.

The Doctor and Craig slowly opened their eyes from where they'd been waiting for the explosion to hit...to see they were alright. "Ha ha!" the Doctor cheered, turning to Angel and pulling her into his arms, kissing her deeply in a slight dip, not stopping despite Craig's 'coughing' till the lift bell rang and the doors started to open. The Doctor set her upright, her face a bit flushed, as Craig ran out of the doors and back to the Ladies' department for his son.

"How did you get in there?" Val asked as she saw the three of them running from the direction of the lift.

"Alfie!" Craig reached for his son.

"Here's your daddy," Val smiled, handing the baby back.

"That was another review," the Doctor told the man as Alfie gurgled happily, "Ten out of ten."

"The Cybermen..." Craig turned to them, holding Alfie close, "They blew up. I blew them up with love!" he hugged his son tightly.

"No, that's impossible, and also grossly sentimental and over simplistic," the Doctor shook his head, "You destroyed them because of the deeply ingrained hereditary human...well, really just a parental trait to protect one's own genes which in turn triggered a..." Angel nudged him gently in the stomach and shook her head, nodding at Craig's confused look, "Uh..." he floundered a moment before nodding, "Yeah. Love. You blew them up with love."

~8~

The Doctor was standing by Kelly later that day, just rambling about the most recent adventure, "The building should be totally safe, structurally, and of course the bonded-disillium contained the explosion."

"Right," Kelly nodded, having not really been paying attention at all, "Why you telling me all this?"

"I don't know," he shrugged, "Angel's busy? Shh," and, for once in her life, Kelly became very quiet. The Doctor grinned at that, Kelly didn't even realize what he'd done, and he turned to see Craig stepping over to Val's counter, wearing a new shirt.

"It suits you," the woman complimented Craig.

"Thanks," Craig grinned, getting ready to pay for it, "Angel helped me pick it out."

"Discount applies to partners."

"Great."

"Are you two married then?"

Craig smiled softly as he thought of Sophie, "Nah, we talked about it, but it's just a piece of paper, isn't it?"

The Doctor walked over with Angel, who was pushing Alfie in his little pram, in a shirt that matched his father's, before slinging an arm around Craig's shoulders, "Thank you for your help, Val," the Doctor smiled, "Good noticing. Keep 'em peeled."

"I will," she nodded, "I'm glad you two made up for baby's sake."

The Doctor just blinked at that.

"How d'you mean?" Craig frowned.

"It's nice for baby to have two daddies who love each other," Val explained.

"Wait...hang on a sec!" Craig gaped, " _Two daddies_?" he and the Doctor started making faces and shaking their heads at that, the Doctor backing away with his hands up, "You think I'm..."

"His companion."

Craig laughed and turned around, "Doctor?" but the man was gone, and so was Angel.

"Oh! Now where've they rushed off to?"

"They're gone," Craig said softly.

~8~

Craig entered his house and slowly looked around, only to notice the house was _clean_ , sparklingly clean, and there were fresh-cut flowers on the coffee table, "Who's tidied all this up?" he wondered, wandering into the kitchen with Alfie in his papoose, to see it cleared, the table set.

The Doctor entered through the newly repaired glass door with Angel, his arm around her shoulders, "See, I _do_ come back all on my own. No nudging from Angel," he looked at her to see her eyeing him amusedly, "Oh alright, a little nudging, but I rather like the way she nudges," he nudged her with his hip slightly, making her laugh.

"How did you..."

"Time machine," Angel reminded him softly.

"But even with time travel, getting glaziers on a Sunday, tricky," the Doctor added.

"You went back in time?" Craig gaped at them, realizing that it meant they'd missed their window to see that alignment thing, "That means you used up your hours. What about Exedor?"

"What about you being in trouble with Sophie when she comes back? We couldn't let that happen."

"You used up your time for _me_?" Craig smiled.

"Of course we did," Angel smiled at him, "I still owe you and Sophie quite a lot."

"You don't owe us anything," Craig told her sincerely. Really...if it hadn't been for the Doctor and Angel...who knew where his life would be? He'd definitely not have Sophie or Alfie or a house of his own if not for them and knowing them.

"Well then, you're our friend," the Doctor added, "I notice Stormageddon's very quiet and happy…" Alfie gurgled, "Ohh, he prefers the name Alfie now."

Angel smiled softly at the baby, "And he's very, VERY proud of his dad."

"He calls me _dad_?" Craig whispered.

"Yes, of course he does _now_!" the Doctor cheered, "Yeah, I know," he looked at Alfie, "He's a bit thick, isn't he?"

"Shut up, you two!"

"Well...now it's time. We have to go, might just catch the alignment if we hurry…"

"Sophie will be home any second," Craig said and the Doctor hesitated, knowing Angel wanted to really give a proper, in person, thank you to every person who had been there, "Please?"

"Oh alright," he smiled only a moment before someone knocked on the front door. He beamed, knowing who that had to be, not needing to be Angel to do it, and ran to the door, wanting to surprise Sophie.

Craig hesitated in following, waiting till the Doctor was out of the room before turning to Angel, wanting to talk to her a moment alone...something he'd noticed was really rather difficult to do, the Doctor hardly left her side. He just...there was something bothering him quite a bit that just...he needed to make sure of, "You said once more…" he began softly, so the Doctor wouldn't hear, "And it didn't sound like you were saying 'again' Angel but...one last time. I know I'm not psychic or anything, but...even _I_ can tell that something's wrong…"

Angel sighed, "My time is running out Craig," she admitted, needing to talk about this to at least _one_ person.

She'd kept it in for nearly 200 years, hiding it constantly from the Doctor, literally. She masked her emotions, kept the thoughts quiet, schooled her expressions...anything and everything she could think of so he wouldn't find out something was wrong, at least something like THAT was wrong. She honestly didn't blame him for not noticing, not when she'd put so much effort into actively hiding it from him. And it wasn'tjust him, she refused to bring it up to her family, not wanting to worry them or get them ready for another war again. Not wanting to endanger them. She'd kept thinking, she'll talk to someone, next time, always next time but now...there was no next time. And...she just...she wanted at least one person to know.

"The Doctor told you about the Silence and the Question…" she eyed him as he nodded, apparently having picked up that as he dozed off, "I won't ever know what it is because…the thing is, Craig, I'm going to die. I've seen it, in my head, I've seen how and I know when and...even though it's months ago from your point of view...for me...I can feel it...it's like it's tomorrow. Like it's just...too close now. It's coming for me Craig and...I've tried running from it, but I just...I can't anymore. The more I do the more risk there is for the Doctor. I can't put it off any longer. And...I..." she swallowed hard.

Craig glanced back where the Doctor was excitedly talking with Sophie, hugging her and giving her Gallic air kisses as she laughed, "He's rather chipper for you dying…"

"He doesn't know."

He nodded solemnly, he'd guessed as much, and turned back to her, "Can't anyone help you?"

Angel shook her head, "Nobody can help me, not even the Doctor," she added, seeing him open his mouth. She glanced to her left and picked up a handful of blue envelopes, "I hope it's ok if I take a few?"

He nodded, swallowing, "Where are you going to go?"

"America."

Just then Sophie walked into the room, "Angel!" she grinned, rushing over to the girl and hugging her tightly, "It's so good to see you again!"

"Hello Sophie," Angel hugged her back, puling away a moment later, "I just wanted to thank you for helping out at Demons Run…"

"Don't even start," Sophie waved her off, "It was nothing. You needed help. Anyone would have gone," Angel nodded, "Oh!" Sophie realized, "Have you met Alfie yet?" she turned and looked at Craig a moment, "Are you wearing a papoose?"

The Doctor laughed, "Yes we've met Stormageddon."

Sophie frowned, "Who?"

"Alfie," Angel reminded him with a nudge, "He goes by Alfie now."

"Yes, right," he nodded and they fell silent a moment.

"We really should head out," Angel remarked.

"Right," the Doctor nodded, "Well then, goodbye," he grinned at Craig.

"Wait there," Craig thought of something and ran off, "One second," he disappeared out of the room and hurried back with a blue Stetson, handing it to Angel, "From Sean's stag, someone messed up the order and got ones that were a bit too small," he put it on Angel's head. It wasn't much but...he didn't know what else he could do to try and comfort her.

"Wow," the Doctor remarked, looking at Angel with the hat on, amused, though it DID go with her boots.

"You ride 'em, pardner," Craig mimicked a westerner.

"Thanks," Angel laughed, turning to the Doctor, "I think we've got a vest in the TARDIS to go with this too."

"You know I think we do," he nodded.

She smiled at him, "I'll go check," she turned to Sophie and Craig, "Goodbye," she whispered to them, hugging them and kissing Alfie on top of his head, "Yes, goodbye Alfie."

The Doctor watched her softly as she turned and walked out of the house, giving him time to say his own goodbyes, not seeing Craig look between the door and him, hesitant, before shaking his head, solemn...Angel didn't want the Doctor to know for a reason.

~8~

Angel smiled as she lightly stroked the TARDIS door, the old box parked across the street from three small children playing around, "Well then, Sissy," she whispered, "What do you say to one more trip?" she heard footsteps approaching her and quickly wiped a tear from her eye and turned to the Doctor smiling, she had spent almost 200 years working up the ability to lie to him on this, and only this. It was...a rather big thing to keep from him and she needed to be sure she'd manage it, she couldn't afford to mess up now.

He beamed at her, winding his arm around her as he kissed the top of her head...only to notice three little children had stopped in their playing to watch them, "Hey," he pointed at them cheerily, "I'm the Doctor, this is my Mate, the Angel. We were here to help. And you are very, _very_ welcome," he winked at them before turning and unlocking the TARDIS, stepping in.

Angel paused, offering the kids a small, though very sad smile before following him in.

~8~

_"It was funny," a woman said, "She seemed so happy but so sad at the same time."_

_"I was just a kid," a man added, "I thought maybe they were cowboys on their way to a gunfight."_

_"I really liked her hat," another woman finished, "And his bowtie."_

~8~

River grinned as she leafed through the eyewitness reports on the Doctor she had gathered during her time at the University, it was part of her degree in Archaeology, or at least that was what she had made of it. She had convinced her professors to let her study the most infamous man in the Universe all throughout time, of course though archaeological evidence and 'eyewitness' accounts. Unfortunately though, that also meant having to read about a woman just as well known. But she had to admit, she had learned...quite a bit about the Doctor, she didn't really concern herself with Angel much, the girl basically tagged along, got possessed by the Vortex to stop Dalek things and a monster here and there but it was really _the Doctor_ who did all the amazing stuff, saved planets and things, while all Angel did was hug a kid or two it seemed. So she'd also taken to researching the past incarnations of him as well. Oh she knew all about how Time Lords could change their faces, she'd researched them, found pictures of all his faces.

He certainly grew more handsome with age.

She opened her diary, a cross between her notes on the Doctor and minor references to her time in Berlin, little things she'd picked up from Amy and Rory that might be relevant to the future she was most determined to have with the Doctor. The poor man was trapped and needed her to free him, trapped in a Mating thing that _forced_ him to die when Angel did, well, it _would_ have made him die if not for her bracelet. She smiled, fingering the etchings on the band around her wrist a moment, she would have to help him see that he didn't _have_ to be with Angel _just_ because he was Mated to her. She shook her head, before she flipped to the last page she'd written in:

22/04/11  
5:02 PM  
Lake Silencio

"Tick, tock, goes the clock, and what now shall we play?" a voice spoke, a woman. She looked up but there was no one there, "Tick, tock, goes the clock, now summer's gone away."

"Hello?" she called.

A woman in a tight black dress with an eye patch stepped into the room, "Such a lovely old song. But is it about him?"

"Madame Kovarian!" River gasped, standing up.

She recognized the woman, of course she did, she was one of her 'caretakers' after all. She looked back when she heard a creak to see two Silence step in behind her, and pinched her arm as she looked at them, before turning back to Kovarian to see her looking at the diary's entry and noting that her arm hurt. She looked down to see a small red mark and smirked, knowing there were Silence there then. It was a trick she'd developed as a child, to make sure she'd be aware she at least had an encounter with the Silence if she saw them.

"See something interesting?" she asked the woman.

"You," Kovarian smirked, "So they made you a doctor today, did they? Dr. River Song. How clever you are. You understand what this is, don't you?" she pointed at the last entry.

"According to some accounts it's..." she swallowed, "The day the Doctor dies."

"Oh Melody," Kovarian tsked, "Have you forgotten your lessons already? 'By Silencio Lake, on the Plain of Sighs, an impossible astronaut will rise from the deep and strike a Time Lord dead,'" Kovarian recited, an age-old whisper that had been the foundation of their order, their quest against the Doctor, their hope that he could be stopped, "And this is where it begins," she grinned.

"With me?" River nearly scoffed, "I was only tasked with killing the Doctor in Berlin."

"Yes, and look how well that turned out," Kovarian gave her a chastising look that had her looking away, "Got a bit off target, didn't you _Mels_?"

"This isn't my mission though," River countered, "I was never meant to be trained for Utah."

Because it was a very _dangerous_ time and place. A still point, one that could easily become a _fixed point_ if one key moment in the past either happened or didn't. She'd been tasked to kill the Doctor in Berlin to avoid the fixed point asserting itself, but had failed. And now...it was all the more complicated. She knew her caretakers had hoped to avoid the fixed point and all the complications that could arise from it. A point like that was...dangerous, infinitely more so than a naturally occurring point.

To make a still point into a fixed point...it meant that it could only happen once, at one time, in one place, at one moment, unable to be travelled to through time travel ever again after it had happened. Oh sure, the people involved in it could be from different points in time, but that single moment...it couldn't be interfered with or missed or else time just...fell apart.

"Because you failed your previous mission. How could we trust you not to fail again?"

"Then why come to me now?"

Because they had run out of time.

They hadn't been able to find that blasted Time Child yet, the bloody little girl had managed to elude them just long enough. They were well aware of the Time Lords, of their quest to find their daughter, they knew that the Angel, _not_ the Doctor, was preparing to head to the lake. They didn't have Ayla in their possession again, SHE had been the one they intended to use at the lake, it was why they'd sent 'River' to Berlin to try and avoid Utah happening _because_ they didn't have Ayla back, kill him then and they wouldn't need the little girl now and she'd be left to fend for herself, likely die...according to the suit her health was fading very, VERY fast when she'd escaped. She was the only one they could think of that the Time Lords wouldn't fight against. That the DOCTOR wouldn't fight against.

But it appeared nothing was going according to plan.

It wouldn't be Ayla to make the final blow.

It wouldn't be the Doctor it was dealt against either.

"Plans have changed," Kovarian said simply.

River gave her a suspicious look, "How so?"

Kovarian sat down on the end of the table across from her, "You fear the Doctor's death is marked by Lake Silencio yes?" River nodded, "What would you say if I were to tell you there was a way to…alter…that event."

"It can't be stopped," River said sadly, "It's a fixed point in time…"

"I didn't say stopped," Kovarian interrupted, "I said _altered_."

River looked up, her eyes wide, hopeful, realization dawning on her, "You mean…"

"The DOCTOR need not die that day," Kovarian nodded, watching as River's expression grew more desperate to know how to save him, oh they certainly knew their little Melody Pond, they knew JUST what to say to get her to do their bidding, "A TIME LORD must die yes, but you know there's only _one_ other Time Lord out there that could fulfill that."

"The Angel," River breathed, before shaking her head, "But you just said I failed in my last mission because I was trying to kill _her_. Why are you suddenly ordering me to do it now?"

Kovarian's jaw tensed, being careful of her words, careful so that River wouldn't deduce the _real_ reasons behind it, "We've been made aware that you're correct Melody," River eyed her, confused, "The Angel truly IS the bigger threat to the Universe. Her foresight, her interference with time disrupting the balance of life and death, the Vortex within her...NO ONE could be that good and that pure, have all that power and not be corrupt by it. The day will come where she will fall, and we must to protect the Universe from that. When the Angel falls into darkness, the Universe will shiver in fear and feel only death."

River smiled, not seeming to notice that Kovarian was smirking victoriously at that, at seeing River starting to agree, at how she wasn't even noticing the ploy, the woman truly _was_ fixated on removing all obstacles from getting her object of desire, the Doctor. So fixated that she couldn't even see what the consequences would be of that.

It really would end up being the perfect self-cleaning mission in the end.

River shook her head, blinking, "But if I kill her…the Doctor's Mated to her and he'll…"

"You have something for that don't you?" Kovarian cut in and River's hand went to her wrist, where the Dampening Bracelet was, on instinct.

River started to nod, looking at Kovarian with determination, "What must I do?"

Kovarian simply looked at the side door where two soldiers entered, carrying the astronaut suit, "Use your training," she stood, "And become who you were always meant to be, the woman who kills the Angel."

River looked at the astronaut suit, resting her head on the helmet of it, "The woman who marries the Doctor," she murmured.

Kovarian refrained from rolling her eyes at that. Psychopaths, they were so obsessive weren't they? But she shook herself from those thoughts, starting to grin at how the plan was finally starting to go according to their wishes, "'Tick, tock, goes the clock, and all the years they fly…'"

River started to smile again as well, her hand moving to the blaster of the astronaut suit's arm, "Tick, tock, and all too soon...the Angel's going to die."

~8~

River smirked as she looked out of the astronaut's helmet at the water around her, waiting at the bottom of the lake for her moment, humming the old tune that seemed to have echoed through the Universe.

" _Tick tock goes the clock,_  
_She cradled him and kept him well.  
Tick tock goes the clock,  
Till River kills the Angel..._"

~8~

The Doctor frowned as he walked into the console room, trying to find Angel only to find it empty as was every other room he could think to look for her in. She wasn't in their room, or her room, or the wardrobe, or the kitchen, the bathrooms, the garden, any of the game rooms, the swimming pool, the library, she wasn't anywhere…he was starting to worry, his mind flashing back to the Dream Lord, how she hadn't been on the TARDIS and he hadn't noticed.

With that in mind, he ran to the console, bringing up the monitor to try and find her there. With all the halls of the TARDIS, it would be easier to know which room to go to instead of trying to follow the Mating bond in a general direction. He nearly sagged in relief when the scan revealed her location. His frown deepened though when he saw the blip on the monitor, he didn't recall a room existing there.

He headed out of the room and followed the pattern the TARDIS had given him till he came to their room. He walked around the small corner at the end of the hall, where a wooden door was station, a beautiful golden door with light blue Gallifreyan symbols on it. He reached out, gently tracing the name carved into it, their daughter's name, before he pushed the door open gently. His mouth nearly dropped open when he caught sight of the beautiful room beyond. The walls were painted a soft yellow, a false window in the back wall letting in false sunlight. There were Gallifreyan symbols and pictures scattered all over the walls in golden paint…and then he noticed…

It was a nursery.

And then he noticed…

Angel was sitting beside the small table they'd set up with the cot on it, curled up, using the giant pink teddy bear Jack had gotten them as a pillow, her back to the door. He could see her knees drawn in close, see her shoulders shaking as though trying not to cry.

He swallowed hard, not wanting to intrude if she wanted to be alone, but...he had to ask, "What's this?"

"Sissy's never been an aunt before," she shrugged slightly, "She surprised me with this room, for Ayla, at Demons Run. That's what she was humming about, she wanted me to see this…but she was so loud Ayla started crying and…" she swallowed hard, not wanting to think about it, but knowing she had to. It had been 200 years and they hadn't truly touched this topic yet, their daughter and how it was HER fault they'd lost her.

He nodded, stepping into the room and shutting the door behind him, leaning against it as he watched her, "What happened?" he asked her after a moment, she'd seemed ok when they'd left Craig's.

She sniffled, "Alfie."

"Alfie?" he frowned, confused.

"He just…reminded me so much of Ayla. And when he was crying," she let out a small sob and buried her head in the bear's stomach, crying.

The Doctor was at her side in an instant, hugging her to him as he knelt before her, lifting her a bit off the bear to hold her closer, letting her cry into his chest instead. The baby crying, _that_ was what had done it. Not just a fussing cry, but a scared cry, a cry of someone who wanted their parent and wanted to be safe. He'd been in the control room of Demons Run...Angel had been with Ayla, the last thing she'd heard was their daughter crying and screaming as she was ripped away from them. THAT was what had triggered it. Alfie...they could understand him, he wanted his mummy and daddy, he was scared and wanted his daddy…and he knew, Angel could only imagine how scared Ayla was at that moment.

He'd spoken to her at length about his guilt at not being there, it was clear in the way he tried to help other children on their adventures and never abandon them how truly guilty he felt about it. But Angel...they hadn't actually spoken about that exact moment, about what she felt over the situation. He knew she felt guilt but...this went so much farther than just that. He'd always felt like there was more to her emotions than just the guilt, and now it seemed he was going to find out what it was.

"I just want her back," she sobbed, shaking in his arms.

"I know, I know, love, so do I."

"You don't understand Theta…" she shook her head, "I…"

"What?"

"I feel like…" she took a breath, she had to get this out because the guilt was crushing her, "I feel like I traded her away."

He pulled back, cupping her face in his hands, "What do you mean?"

"You remember me, I got you back, but I lost her."

"Nella it _wasn't_ your fault."

"Wasn't it?" she shook her head, "I made a bargain with the Universe, Theta," she closed her eyes, "I promised I would accept that you'd forgotten me, if it would let me keep Ayla. And it worked," she sniffled, "I did it and it worked. She was fine, right to the end and then...you remembered and she was gone and..." she closed her eyes tightly, not seeing him shaking his head, not believing for _a moment_ that a bargain with the Universe was the cause for their daughter having been taken away, "I feel like the price I paid for you returning was to lose her and I…"

"You regret it, me remembering," he realized, his hearts breaking only a little, but he understood, "I see…"

"No," she shook her head, "You don't, you don't understand."

"Then make me."

She swallowed hard, looking at him through tear filled eyes, "She was all I had Theta, for years she was the only thing I had left of you, of us, of what we were, of our love. She was my one constant, my one single ray of hope that everything would be ok. And now…" her face scrunched in pain, "She's gone. She was there from the beginning of your regeneration, she was with me when I was alone, when I hurt, just knowing she was there was a comfort and now...now she's gone, my own light in the darkness just...gone..."

He looked at her a moment before whispering, "Show me."

"What?" she looked up at him, startled.

"Show me the pregnancy, from your view."

"Theta…"

"Show me Nella, show me everything. I…I need to see how much I hurt you."

"No."

"Please. I need to understand."

"No, you don't want to _understand_ , you want to use this to punish yourself."

"I need to," he repeated, not countering her claim at all, because it was true. Angel was...far too forgiving with him, he almost wanted her to hate him, to make him feel better, he felt like...like he wasn't being punished enough for letting himself forget the Mating, for not being strong enough to stop it.

"Why?"

"Because you won't," he told her, his voice growing just a bit louder, "You may not think it but I _do_ deserve to be punished, I don't deserve to get off free like you're letting me. I don't deserve your forgiveness."

"Well it's mine to give as I see fit and you, of all people, deserve it more than anyone."

He blinked, stunned, at how...genuinely she'd said that, how completely she'd forgiven him even after everything, "Please, Nella," he whispered, "This is _hurting_ you…you're my Mate, it's my job to bring you peace as well…but also to protect you, so please, show me. Share your pain with me so you don't have to suffer it alone."

She looked into his eyes deeply, seeing he truly just wanted her to hurt less, and sighed. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against his, opening her mind to him…

~oOo~

_"I'm a Time Lord. You're a big fish. Think of the children..." s_ _he stiffened behind the Doctor, unnoticed by both him and the Signora, her eyes a little wide as her mouth dropped open. Slowly she lifted a hand to rest on her stomach...she wasn't..._ _was she?_

_It explained a lot. Her odd craving of fish fingers and custard, how extra ill she felt when she spotted the cracks, her upset stomach when she woke never so bad as to lead to morning sickness but it was getting worse so she couldn't be sure how long that would last, why she couldn't bear to stand anywhere near Winston even when he wasn't smoking as she could still smell the cigar smoke on him, her nose burning in response, or even how sick she felt smelling all that fish earlier, her odd mood changes, the fierce protectiveness that had reared its head in the forest with the angels and then again just that night, and her belt, how it didn't fit anymore...s_ _he was pregnant._

~oOo~

_'Can't be too important…' the Doctor had said. S_ _he took a breath, opening her eyes to look at her ceiling, lightly starting to rub her stomach, "Don't worry…" she whispered to the son or daughter growing inside her, "We'll figure something out. I promise…it'll be alright…it has to be," a_ _nd it had to be, because she didn't think she'd be able to make it if it wasn't._

~oOo~

_The TARDIS brought up the nearest bathroom as soon as she ran around a corner that also shifted before her and she dashed in, heading straight for the toilet and emptying her stomach._ _She had been so close to avoiding this._

_She didn't want the Doctor to see her being ill, even being distant, he'd still be worried and he'd ask all sorts of questions and things and right now she just...didn't want to have to deal with that, she could feel her emotions getting the best of her, like in the forest..._

_She was sitting on the examination chair while Rory looked at the results that had printed out of one of the scanners, when it happened._ _His eyes widened and he looked at her, gaping, "Angel…you're pregnant."_

_"My mum…she tried so hard to have a baby, but she had a lot trouble conceiving and…she lost them...my sister, she didn't have trouble conceiving but…she lost three of them before she had my nephew. Pregnancies have never been easy in my family and I…I just…I don't want to lose my baby. I can't lose it Rory, I can't…it's all I have left."_

_"NO!" she screamed, her hearts going crazy as she tried to bang on the glass around her, she didn't know how the baby would react, "No! No no, don't do that. Please stop! Not gas!" she started coughing heavily, curling up on her side, her hand resting on her stomach as it clenched in pain, terrifying her more than anything else, "Please...stop..." she begged for the sake of the baby, until the gas had gotten her and she fell unconscious..._

_"Dissected me..." she gasped, looking down at her stomach, the tiny bump invisible under her flowy dress_.

~oOo~

_She was terrified, beyond terrified, of the sharp object getting closer and closer to her stomach._

_The Vortex had damaged her often in the past. Using too much of it had nearly made her regenerate on Mars, HAD made her regenerate on Kroptor. It left her weak, it left her hurting, and...she couldn't risk it, not with the baby._

_She was probably incredibly lucky that she hadn't lost the baby during the dealings with the 456, or on Mars, or when she'd fallen through a ceiling into Naismith manor, or when the Vortex had flared up in the Calvierri school...she couldn't believe she'd done all that while pregnant._

_Was this the Universe's way of just...torturing her? To have her lose everyone who was important to her? First her mother and her family. Then Doctor. Now Rory. Would...would the baby be next?_

_"You are my sunshine, my...only sunshine. You make me happy...when skies are...grey. You'll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away. Please," she begged, "Please don't take my sunshine away."_

~oOo~

_It was probably the baby, that little piece of the Doctor in her that had given her his luck._

_She was nearly certain that the team was getting suspicious of her pregnancy as well. They'd noticed her appetite, how tired she got, the decaf tea she'd been drinking, her cravings…soon enough they'd notice more and she needed to leave before that happened._

_She wasn't sure if the baby would make it. She didn't want to tell anyone until she knew, for sure, that the baby would make it, that it was far enough out of danger, healthy enough to survive…THEN she'd tell them. When she knew it would make it. It would hurt too much to tell them and see them get excited and then lose the baby._

~oOo~

_She bit her lip, before nodding, leading Amy over to the doorway, not being able to see what was attacking them or why...she had to be careful, if...if she got hit in the stomach...she didn't even want to think about what that could mean._

_"No," she held up her hands to stop Vincent, "You can't, your life is far too precious."_

_"And yours isn't?" Vincent countered, she stiffening when he subtly let his gaze flicker to her stomach and back at her._

_She swallowed hard, fighting the urge to put her hand on her stomach and give away the fact that Vincent was right, that he somehow knew about her pregnancy._

~oOo~

_Though, she could understand how Amy hadn't noticed the 'signs' that she was pregnant where Rory could. Rory was a nurse, he'd been around pregnant women often, he knew what to look for._

_She was pregnant, she was moody and hungry and a mess of other things...and so was the Doctor._

_The baby...it was so small already, not even a year old, it was still in danger of being lost. And that was what she needed to focus on, keeping the baby safe, keeping it alive and healthy._

_She still wouldn't focus on that though, no, the baby came first and foremost, it had to, she was just...going to live with it, worry about herself for once, just a bit._

_"It's controlling her," she shouted, her other hand dropping to her stomach, it was twisting painfully now that the controls had started to try and pull Sophie in, she was praying it was just her reaction to the temporal technology going wonky and not something that would harm the baby._

~oOo~

_She'd run some scans after coming back from Craig's, she'd been so afraid that the baby would have been hurt by all the time distortion, but it was ok, for now, but she was starting to feel overwhelmed. It was like...she knew something big was coming, something bad, and...it was getting to her._

_Her hand rested on her stomach, she knew the history of Caesar and Cleopatra, the romance they'd had, the child that had been conceived...she swallowed, hoping that this wasn't one of River's spoilers...that she was subtly trying to hint that she and the Doctor would have THAT sort of relationship, that, one day, River would bear his child._

_She knew that life with the Doctor was NOT at all the right place or the safest place to be pregnant. Every single second was dangerous in her current predicament, every moment was just another one where she might lose the baby._

_That was one thing she didn't like about being pregnant, she seemed to get more headaches than normal._

_She really was starting to develop the WORST timing wasn't she? But then again...the baby was the Doctor's, and he had the absolute worst in the Universe. Oh she feared for the baby if it inherited the Doctor's sense of time._

~oOo~

_She sat on the floor of the control room, leaning back against the console, her legs tucked to her side for the moment, "5,972,918,487…" she closed her eyes as the explosion hit her back, her hands forever on her stomach_

_Her stomach hurt. Oh that was not good at all, was it? She closed her eyes, trying not to cry at what that could mean, her stomach really, really hurt!_

_Why would she do that to her baby? She hadn't even thought about it, she'd seen the Dalek, she'd seen the Doctor, she'd seen it fired and...ran..._

_What was the point in her? The only thing in the Universe that might need her...might very well be gone. She'd gone numb, but she could feel the pain in her stomach just increasing more and more._

_She rested a hand on her stomach and let out a breath of relief at what else had been 'restored' by the Pandorica._

_She had a feeling that she would likely be terrified through the entirety of her pregnancy of the same happening..._

~oOo~

_Because she WAS thinking of leaving, for the baby's safety. She couldn't bear the thought of leaving him, not till she absolutely had to. And that was the only way she could think of to stay, being careful. She'd probably overdone it a bit, but now she knew that...she could protect the baby. She NEEDED to know that after failing so miserably before. She had to know she could do it, she had to prove to herself she could._

~oOo~

_"What? What do you want?"_

_"A simple life," the Doctor replied, she was silent, not about to say 'my baby to be ok' with the Doctor right beside her._

_She hoped that the baby would be like him in that, able to see how wonderful things were, how amazing, even something as small as fish._

_The moment she'd found out she was pregnant her hearts had just...taken the baby in. And try as she might she felt more love for her baby every day, because...every day was one day closer to it possibly being born healthy and alive._

_It really took very extreme weather conditions for her or the Doctor to feel it but she'd noticed, since being pregnant, that she was a bit more sensitive to the temperatures._

_It was her greatest fear, to tell him of the baby, or even of the Mating, and have him completely deny everything._

~oOo~

_"You know what I mean. Something happened between the two of you, hasn't it?" Sarah Jane glanced down, seeing the bump of her stomach from her angle and closeness._

_"I'm going to tell you what I told Rose, find me...if you need to, one day. You can come to me. Both of you," Sarah Jane's gaze flickered down to her stomach._

~oOo~

_She just...she didn't want too many people to know because...it would hurt that much more if she lost the baby. Because she felt like she would not only have lost something so important to her, but...she would have hurt her family too._

_That made her about two-thirds of the way through the pregnancy. Right now she was in her 3rd month of the last year of the pregnancy, at the start of her third trimester, by Earth terms about 7 months pregnant, and she knew that, soon, her belly would really start to swell to the point where she wouldn't be able to hide it._

_She just looked at Amy solemnly, "Our lives are in your hands Amy," she told her gently, though only Rory seemed to notice one of her hands brush against her stomach at the words._

_She still had the baby, and as long as she had that, she'd be ok. She'd have to be._

~oOo~

_"You asked me once, what I'd do if Amy ever forgot me, and you didn't want me to tell the Doctor about..." Rory glanced at her stomach, "It's because the Doctor is the one who forgot you, isn't it?"_

_"You started traveling with us for the adventure," she continued, sniffling, "To see the Universe with an amazing Pilot and you got lumped with the pregnant mess who's so insignificant her own Mate's forgotten her."_

~oOo~

_"I'm terrified Amy, I'm terrified that the Doctor won't ever remember, that he'll leave me for River, that..." she swallowed hard, that she'd lose the baby._

_She moved to run off after Amy when Rory stopped her, "I've got it," his eyes flickered down to her stomach before running off as she turned to help the captain._

~oOo~

_"What does hope do but hurt you in the end?" that was all it did, all it had ever done for her. She hoped the baby would live and be ok, but in a way, every day it grew bigger she knew it would hurt that much more if she ever lost it._

_Idris grabbed her arm, "You really shouldn't run in your condition," her eyes widened at that before Idris let her go, "Be careful."_

~oOo~

_She winced, though no one saw, all of them too focused on the tub of Flesh, and put her hand on her stomach, taking deep breaths as it all hit her. Everything the Doctor was worried about...he had right to be, and she knew...it was all going to come to a head very soon...and the consequences...would be extreme._

~oOo~

The Doctor pulled back just a bit and looked at her, tears in his eyes now at all she had endured while carrying his child. It hurt so much more to see it from her point of view, to feel her pain…and he knew what she'd shown him wasn't even half of the times he'd hurt her, the times he dismissed her, or even her time on the Demons Run, but she'd done what he'd asked and shown him her pregnancy, _only_ the part of her pregnancy that he hadn't known about, "How can you not hate me?" he whispered, the words falling from his lips before he could stop them.

Angel pulled back more, knowing he would start to feel that way, "I could never hate you."

He shook his head, "But why?" after all that, how in the Universe could she not feel even the slightest bit of hatred for him, for what he'd done to her even if unknowingly.

"Because I hate myself more," she shrugged, shaking her head, speaking so...casually that he found himself even more startled by her words as he stared at her in shock. Angel looked away, looked down, "It's all my fault," she breathed.

He shook his head, all this time, he'd been blaming himself and been unable to understand why she wasn't. And now he knew, she wasn't blaming _him_ because she was blaming _herself_ , "Nella…" he began, reaching out for her, "It _really_ wasn't your fault."

"You don't know that," she told him, letting him take her hands as she looked down at them instead.

"Of course I do," he moved closer to her, "You could never…"

"I saw it," she cut in.

He froze at that though, "Saw...what?"

He was truly afraid of the answer.

"I saw what the Silence were planning to do to Amy and Rory," she said miserably, quiet, broken, "You once asked why I didn't give Amy and Rory any time in the TARDIS after their wedding...I didn't know why, I really didn't...till I saw it," she closed her eyes, "They wanted Amy's baby, the one she and Rory would conceive on the TARDIS, in flight, in the Vortex…human plus Time Lord."

He shook his head, "That's impossible…"

"It happened," she murmured, "They took Amy from America, replaced HER with the Ganger, and kept her at Demons Run till Melody Pond was born."

"River?" he asked.

She nodded, "We got her out but…the baby was a Ganger. They tricked us and took Melody. It happened the same, she was the girl in the astronaut suit, she got away, but the Silence found her and brought her to Amy and Rory, raising her with them, like they did this time, made her into a psychopath…" she shook her head, knowing instinctively that the psychopathy River experienced in that future was NOT nearly as bad as the River there was now, everything had been twice as worse for this River because they couldn't risk her escaping like Ayla had, and she was completely HUMAN, she didn't have the capability of healing as quickly as Time Lords did. She swallowed hard, "I tried to avoid it all, and it ended up happening anyway, worse for everyone. River was hurt and pushed twice as hard, she's not a Time Lord and can't heal from it the same way, they took Ayla instead."

She bit her lip a moment, "They didn't know I was pregnant," she told him, "I guess I was too careful, keeping it from you, the rest of the Universe didn't know either. Only Sarah Jane really worked it out...and the TARDIS, and Rory. But...they didn't know. When they took me in the White House...they thought they could just use my DNA to make Melody more Time Lord, but then they found out Amy wasn't pregnant and that I was..." she shook her head, "River became a backup plan. They must have used her to try and get Amy and Rory to the warehouse so they could get the DNA to create her."

It was a paradox, but that was the only reason she could see for a little human girl to be in that warehouse, why a human child would need that astronaut suit, if Melody had been created, she hadn't been grown in a womb, it made sense she'd need extra support. They knew the Silence had access to time travel technology as well, it was very possible that the Silence took the only 'test subject' they had left back in time and 'freed' her, knowing they'd all come to help a child in distress, and then took her back later. How else would Melody have been brought to Amy and Rory and grown up with them if the last time they saw the astronaut suit was in 1969? Why else would she need a shimmer if not because the future Amy would have realized that her best friend as a child looked like the girl in the astronaut suit, though she supposed it could be because Amy would have recognized the older River as her friend Melody too.

"Ayla came so close to having River's future," Angel murmured, "Her training…and now she's lost out there somewhere…because of something I did," if she'd left the TARDIS, if she hadn't gotten involved...Ayla would have been safe. But equally so, Amy and Rory would have suffered what they had. But she knew they wouldn't have suffered as long as they were.

The Doctor was silent a moment longer, "Why didn't you tell me?"

She looked down, "I was scared you would hate me."

"Nella…" he began shaking his head. For all his fear of _her_ hating _him_ , how could she ever, ever, ever think he'd ever hate her? Ever? Everything she'd done had been to try and save everyone, it had just...gone wrong. He said it often enough, psychics couldn't see everything. And Angel was no different, she just hadn't seen what would happen as a result of her attempts. The point was...she had tried to save people, and that was why he loved her.

"I kept it from you Theta, and because of that…our daughter was kidnapped by our enemies. For almost 200 years she's been alone. River's a psychopath…" she shook her head again, "All because of me."

"I don't hate you," he told her, pulling her into his arms, holding her closer, cradling her to him as he leaned back against the pink teddy bear, "I will never ever hate you, not ever. You're my Mate and I love you more than anything. You were trying to save them all, like you always do, like you always save me. Sometimes things get out of hand but you've _never_ given up. You've never given up on us finding Ayla. You never even gave up on _River_ ," he sighed, that was one thing he _couldn't_ agree with, Angel seemed to believe River had redeeming qualities, he didn't see any of them. The only thing that came to mind was the Library and even then, that was a River at the end of her timeline, wiser and more mature than these younger Rivers, "River's...alive and free, her parents are fine and didn't suffer that fate, we _will_ find Ayla and get her back, we'll stop the Silence as well. _Everything_ will be fine. I promise."

She closed her eyes, hugging him tighter, feeling him press a kiss to her head...as a song echoed in her mind...

" _Angel, kind and brave,_  
_She never uses violence._  
_She will try to save,_  
_The Doctor from the Silence_ …"

No, she realized, it wouldn't be fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh God...oh man, TWORS is next! O.O I'm semi-scared for it, but also eager because quite a few questions will be answered and concerns dealt with ;) I'm really excited for the title of the next chapter as it will NOT involve the word 'wedding' ;) I think a few of you will be very happy with it ;)
> 
> But(!) just want to point out...just because the Silence haven't found Ayla yet...doesn't mean they won't find her first. It'll still be a race to see who finds her, the Time Lords or the Silence }:) But I can say we'll find out pretty soon who it will be along with what Kovarian and the Silence's REAL plan is };)


	42. The Rejection of River Song: What Happened?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, quick note, I'm going to do what I did with Love & Monsters and other episodes, use ~0~ as a scene break for the 'flashback' scenes so I don't have to make them all italics :) Enjoy!

At 5:02 in the afternoon on the 22nd of April, 2011, people walked down the roads of a _very_ different London. The buildings were the same but there was no Underground, just an elevated steamrail. Cars were flying by, attached to hot air balloons operated with small propellers.

"And it's another beautiful day in London," a man on the radio announced, "There are reports of sunspot activity and solar flares causing interference across all radio signals so apologies for that."

Children ignored the radio as they played in Hyde Park, laughing, while the adults read the paper. One little girl received a sandwich from her mother and pointed at the pterodactyls that were flying above them, shrieking, "Guys, look!"

Suddenly the pterodactyls swooped down towards them as they all ran for cover, past a sign that read 'Pterodactyls are Vermin. Do Not Feed.'

Just past them, on the street, a Roman chariot waited at the stop light, watching it intently for it to turn green as a newspaper vendor sold the Londinum Cotide, with headlines reading 'War of the Roses Enters Second Year.'

A TV in a shop window played an interview with Charles Dickens, "So do you think you can top last year's Christmas Special?" a man asked.

"And can you tell us anything about it?" his female co-host agreed.

"Well, all I can say now is that it involves ghosts and the past, the present, and future, all at the same time..." Dickens grinned.

"Oh, we love a ghost story!" they all faked a laugh.

On a different channel Merideth Viera was announcing the news headlines, "Crowds lined the mall today as Holy Roman Emperor, Winston Churchill, returned to the Buckingham Senate on his personal mammoth..."

~8~

In the Senate, Churchill sat in his office, being examined by his doctor, the Silurian Malokeh, "Not too many late nights in Gaul, I hope," he muttered as he took Churchill's blood pressure.

"Just the one," he sighed, "I had an argument with Cleopatra. Dreadful woman. Excellent dancer."

Two male slaves in traditional Roman garb fanned him with a large feather fan, "I can tell from your blood pressure."

"What time do you have, doctor?" Churchill asked as he looked at the clock.

Malokeh checked his pocket watch, "Two minutes past five, Caesar."

"It's _always_ two minutes past five," he sighed, "Day or night, it's always two minutes past five in the afternoon. Why is that?"

"Because that is the time, Caesar."

"And the date. Always the 22nd of April. Does it not _bother_ you?"

It bothered HIM a great deal. It had ever since...well, ever since his soothsayer went mad and started ranting and raving about time being wrong, that time had stopped. He hadn't thought much of it at the time but...every day, every time he looked at the clock or the date, those words kept coming back to him, that time was wrong. The more he thought about it the more he got the sense that...perhaps the words were true, perhaps there WAS something wrong with time. It was a ridiculous notion, he knew, but...more and more every day he just felt...odd. And THAT was starting to bother him too, that niggling in his mind that made it hard to focus and do his job properly.

"The date and the time have always been the same, Caesar," Malokeh shrugged, "Why should it start bothering me now?"

"I want to see the Soothsayer. Where is she?"

"In the tower. Where you threw her the last time."

"Get her!" he ordered two Roman soldiers, who bowed, pressing a fist to their shoulders as they turned and left the room.

~8~

The two Roman soldiers escorted the soothsayer down a hall, the poor woman bound in chains around her wrists, garbed in a light blue tunic dress that went down to her feet, with a dark blue draping over the shoulder and black sandals on her feet. Her head was bowed, her black hair falling over her face as she was led away, unable to help feeling far too much like she was back in a museum, being led to her savior...though this time she knew that wasn't the case.

~8~

The soldiers forced the soothsayer to her knees before Churchill's desk, "Leave us!" Churchill shouted and the soldiers and all other servants in the room left, the soothsayer keeping her head down, "'Tick tock goes the clock…'" he trailed, seeing her flinch, "As the old song says. But they _don't_ , do they? The clocks never tick. Something has happened to time. Time has fallen apart. That's what you say. What you never STOP saying. All of history is happening at once. But what does that _mean_? What happened? Explain to me in terms that I can understand. What happened to time?!"

The soothsayer looked up to reveal a pale, slightly bedraggled, Angel, her hair longer and wavey, bags under her eyes that filled with tears as she was forced to admit what had happened, "My Mate."

~0~

Angel smiled as the Doctor dashed out of the TARDIS and looked around the open area of a museum's top floor, 100 stories up. Not Van Statten's museum, but another one, one actually dedicated to, of all things, time travel. It looked at specific moments in time, their significance, the different methods of time travel, the history of the Time Agency, they even had quite a few floors dedicated to time travel in fictional worlds and shows! Oh it was like an amusement park for time travellers. And she knew, if there was one thing that could keep the Doctor distracted for hours on end...it was looking at all the ridiculous ways 'inferior' species had attempted or imagined to travel in time. It was all rather child-like compared to a TARDIS.

The Doctor spun around and grinned at her as she leaned against the doors of the TARDIS, now wearing a black western style vest and Craig's blue Stetson along with her TARDIS blue dress and black cowboy boots. And she looked just adorable in them. He walked over to her and took her hands in his, tugging her lightly to him before he leaned down and gave her a deep kiss, "Thank you for this," he whispered, pulling away, resting his forehead to hers.

She nodded against his head, "We both need a chance to recover from Alfie," she told him, and all the other things they had talked about.

She knew it had been hard for him to bear hearing her talk about how she really _had_ tried to give him up if it meant she could keep their daughter. He knew she'd tried not to love him, and she'd felt how it broke his hearts at Demons Run, but to find out she truly had tried (and really MEANT it) to give him up, to accept his amnesia, for the sake of their daughter. It _killed_ him. But she knew he also understood.

Family, to Mates especially, were _treasured_.

It might have seemed like she had picked their daughter over him, in that case, but he knew he'd have done the same if it came to it. A child, to a Mate, was just...their hearts. It was literally like a representation of the love a Mated pair shared, especially the ones conceived in the final step of the Mating. Mates couldn't survive without the other, so ever instinct of theirs screamed at them to protect their Mate from everything. But, in extreme cases, when their child was in danger, the instinct could be...overruled, the _child_ became the priority to save. A Mate would die without the other Mate, yes, self preservation played a large role in trying to save your Mate as well, but the child came first. You saved your child over your Mate if you truly were in a situation like that. You would die if your Mate did, but you needed to make sure your child was safe and out of danger.

Some other species might find that an odd twist. Logically, you could have another child, but you could NOT have another Mate. But to _actual Mates_...the child was...everything that represented their love. So, in a way, if both Mates died, because one Mate died, their love would be able to live on, in the child. Of course you would do EVERYTHING in your power to save BOTH your Mate _and_ child, but it was a...reassurance in your hearts that your Mate would want your child safe as well, first and foremost. To a Mate, your world revolved around your Mate...and your child was every bit of love you felt for your Mate, your child WAS your love. To have a child of a Mated pair die...it was as crippling as a Mate dying, except you didn't have the relief of death to follow. In a way, it was better to save the child over your Mate, you would be able to join your Mate in death, you wouldn't be able to join your child as it would mean not only killing yourself to do it, but to kill your Mate as well.

Children of Mated pairs were often the most well protected children on Gallifrey, because of their parents and their drive to protect them. It was why it had killed HER so much to have Ayla taken from her, because Ayla was her daughter, her love for the Doctor, and SHE hadn't been able to protect her. It was why they were so driven that, even 200 years later they STILL searched for her, why they NEVER gave up. It was like the Mating instinct in a way, a maternal/paternal instinct for their young.

Angel took a breath, shaking off her thoughts, and pulled away slightly so she could nod her head towards the door at the side of the room, "Go on, explore, I'll be right there."

The Doctor grinned widely and dashed off. He was...ok with this stop, with this minute delay in their search for Ayla. Angel had been right, being around Alfie, hearing that baby boy crying for his parents...it had hurt them both deeply, making them relive the horror of losing Ayla. They just...needed a few hours, just a few hours to forget the boy's terrified cries, before they'd be back in the TARDIS and flying off to try and find her once more. Angel had even managed to convince him to play a sort of hide and seek game to help get their minds off Alfie even more, a game to see if _he_ could outmaneuver _her_ , if he could 'fool the psychic.' No teleporting and no reading his mind, just using her senses to try and find him. See if he couldn't keep ahead of her and still see the museum as well. And when it came to exploring and games, he was all too eager...and it would be something he could see what it was like, see if it might be something they could play with Ayla WHEN they found her (not IF).

"Doctor!" Angel called as he reached the door, making him pause and face her. She just...looked at him a long while, a small smile on her face as she just...took him in, "I _love_ you."

He blinked and beamed, "I love you too."

She nodded, "Good luck."

He winked and pointed at her before running out.

Her smile faded and she glanced at the TARDIS, hearing her humming from within, knowing what she was trying to say. She reached out and rubbed the corner of the box, "I know," she whispered to it, "I don't like lying to him either Sissy," she swallowed hard, giving one more glance to the door the Doctor had disappeared through, before she turned and entered the TARDIS, the box disappearing _silently_ a moment later.

~0~

Angel stopped at the edge of a room, looking at the destruction around it. The TARDIS had helped her find this place, had refused to open the doors though, but she'd managed to talk the old girl around, promising that if she wasn't back in five minutes she could go fly off, back to the Doctor, and alert him to her plans.

So she had to be quick.

She rushed into the room, towards the lone, live, Dalek in the back. It was a ship that they'd picked up in the Cybermen transmissions, the ship had attacked their vessel and they'd opened fire, gotten lucky because the ship had nearly been destroyed but the Daleks were stopped. All of the life signs onboard that she'd picked up from the TARDIS were gone, except this one.

She walked over to it, still in her Stetson and vest, as she eyed it, slightly hesitant, never having the best experience with both Daleks and this sort of thing. She...didn't want to get too close, she didn't want to have to do this...but it needed to be done. The safety of her family depended on this, "I know how you feel," she began softly, stepping closer, "How it feels to be dying, to be afraid and lost and in pain..." her voice broke, recalling when she'd died last time, "And what it feels like to find yourself facing your worst nightmares. Hello, Dalek."

The Dalek, on its side, twitched as fires burned all around it, having been left to die by the Cybermen, "Emergency, emergency, weapon system disabled, emergency! Emergency! Emergency!"

Angel glanced at its laser arm, tensing, ready to use the Vortex to make a shield if it fired, but it didn't...just tried, but it was out of power. She quickly pulled out Amy-O's sonic probe and moved the last few steps closer, reaching out to the casing lid of the Dalek, "I'm sorry," she whispered, pulling it off, "But I need a few bits information from your data core. Everything you and the other Daleks know about the Silence…" she soniced the data core before sighing, "Everything I don't already know…"

She had spent...centuries...researching them, looking up anything and everything she could, using every spare moment the Doctor wasn't with her, slipping out when he was sleeping, trying to ask around on their adventures, just...anything about them. She'd tried to focus her abilities as well, tried to sense things about them and...recently...with the 'death date' coming closer, she had actually started to get a sense of things more and more.

Now...she just needed a few more things to make sense of it all.

~0~

Angel pressed herself against a building, watching as a hooded figure walked along the dark path of the docks of Calisto B. She leaned around, watching the figure enter a bar before heading after it. She walked over to the bartender, a red-skinned alien behind a grate, "Hello," she tried to offer it a smile, "Um, could I speak to Gideon Vandaleur, please?" she asked, recalling that name from the Dalek's data.

"Who says he's here?" the bartender asked snidely.

Angel bit her lip a moment, before placing one of the orbs that lined the Dalek's casing onto the small ledge of the counter before her. She knew what the Doctor would have done, tried to make an impression, a threat, dropped the Dalek's eyestalk down before the man, proving he'd dismantled a Dalek, probably with his bare hands. But...she couldn't. The Dalek...it had died shortly after she'd gotten the information. She'd...seen it dying near the end and...she'd stayed. Daleks were raised alone, locked away in their casing, never having been touched, never having been held or loved or experienced that. She just...it was alone and dying and she couldn't bring herself to leave it. She knew what it was like to die alone, or think she was dying alone (she hadn't known the TARDIS had been there for her at the time), and she just...wanted to help, even if it was a Dalek.

She couldn't bring herself to dismantle it either, so she'd taken one of the orbs from the others, one of the ones that had fallen off of its own. She knew that there were two ways to make an impression using a Dalek. One was to have a piece of it that could only be removed through tearing one apart...proving you had killed a Dalek, something...very hard to do. But equally...you could simply prove you'd encountered one and survived, almost harder to do. Daleks never miss after all.

The bartender took one look at the orb, recognizing it, and hurried off as she turned and moved to sit at a table, waiting, absently looking around at the different people there...till a hooded figure sat down before her. He lowered his hood to reveal blonde man with an eye patch on.

She frowned, it was almost exact to what Madam Kovarian wore, "Father Gideon Vandaleur?" she asked as he gave her a short nod, "Former envoy of the Silence. I'm so sorry."

"For what?" Gideon asked.

"Gideon Vandaleur died six months ago," she pulled out the probe and flashed the man's chest, making him wince and freeze. She leaned forward and looked him in the eye, "I'm really sorry about this but...could I speak to your captain, please?"

~0~

Inside the Teselecta the captain was sitting on his command chair, sparks flying everywhere from the affect of the probe, as he observed Angel on the monitor.

"Hello," she offered them a tired smile, "The Teselecta, the time-travelling, shape-changing robot, powered by miniaturized people," she laughed a bit, rubbing her head, "The Doctor would have loved to meet you again…"

"Angel!" the captain gasped, surprised she'd survived Berlin but with more important things to worry about, "What have you done to our systems?"

"They'll be fine," she promised them, eyeing the Teselecta, "Your robot, it can turn itself into anyone, so if you've chosen the form of Vandaleur, then...that means you're investigating the Silence yes? Please…there's something I need to know."

"And what is that?"

"Their least loyal operative."

~0~

Angel was sitting opposite a goblin-like, alien Viking with the same eye patch before a chess table. They were in a live chess arena where a crowd was cheering them on from above. The queen before the Viking was crackling with electricity, making him hesitate to move.

Angel glanced at the crowd from where she was sitting, straight-backed, her hands in her lap, greatly uncomfortable with this situation. And with how it had happened. You see...she'd cheated, just a little bit. Used her foresight to try and glimpse ahead at the moves the alien would make to try and help her just a bit. She was rubbish at chess, she really was, it had taken her decades of playing with the Doctor to even be able to seem like she might have gotten to this point on her own. And that queen piece...it was electrified, it would kill him if he touched it, and...she didn't want that, she just...needed to get him to a point where he'd agree to tell her what she needed to know. She knew he wouldn't really touch it, she knew what she had to do to make it safe for him, it would also make him feel indebted to her.

She glanced at the queen, "They want you to make your move," she nodded at the piece, "It's the only legal move you can make, but you've moved it so much that there's too much electricity running through it, it's not safe," the Viking looked at the crowd, yelling at him to get on with it, "I don't understand why they call it 'live chess' when we both know what'll happen if you touch it. You can't make it to bishop four alive."

"And you know that for certain?" the Viking looked at her, as a servant of the Silence he was _well aware_ of just who was sitting before him and what she was capable of.

"I can see it," she whispered sadly, looking at the piece.

He nodded grimly, "I am a dead man. Unless you concede the game."

She looked up at him, "I will...on one condition."

"Name your price."

"Information about the Silence."

"I _work_ for the Silence. They would kill me."

She frowned at him, " _That_ will kill you," she nodded at the queen, before sighing, "They're going to kill me too. I think...they were aiming for the Doctor, but...they keep getting me instead," she shrugged, "I...don't mind much, if killing me will save him but...I need to know he'll be safe. I need to know why they want him to die?"

"Dorium Maldovar is the only one who can help you."

She shook her head, "Dorium's dead. He was beheaded by the Headless Monks at Demons Run. I was there, I saw it happen. I tried to stop it..."

"I know," he smirked, "Concede the game...and I'll take you to him."

Angel looked at the chess board and then at him, before she knocked down her piece, conceding the game, much to the crowds chagrin.

~0~

The Viking led her through an underground tunnel, a torch in his hand, as she walked a step behind. There were skulls on every available surface, in the walls, on the ground, just dropped there, it was all rather creepy.

"The Seventh Transept," the Viking explained, "Where the Headless Monks keep the leftovers. Watch your step, there are traps everywhere."

Something scurried across the floor and Angel frowned, "Was that a rat?"

"There are no rats in the transept," she nodded, she could already tell it wasn't rats but she had been hoping, "The skulls eat them," the skulls on the shelves turned to watch them walk past, "The Headless Monks behead you alive, remember?"

The tunnel opened into a small room with pedestals in the center, with ornate wooden boxes resting on top of them, "Why do they only put some in boxes?"

"Because some people are rich and some people are left to rot. Dorium Maldovar was always very rich," he walked over to a sconce and put the torch in it as Angel just looked around the floor a moment, sensing the traps before stepping forward carefully and scanning a box with the probe.

The latch slid open and Dorium's blue head was laying there, coughing a bit at the sudden change in air, "Thank you, Gantok, for taking me to see him."

The Viking froze, unsure if he should be surprised or alarmed that she knew his name when he hadn't told her it, "My pleasure," he replied, aiming a gun at her, "It saves me the trouble of burying you. Nobody beats me at chess!"

Angel closed her eyes a moment before a trap went off as Gantok stepped forward, her biting her lip as she heard Gantok scream, falling through the floor. She stood there a moment longer, knowing she couldn't save him, this being one of the rare times...because he'd proved she couldn't trust him. She'd spared his life and he'd been about to kill her with her back turned. If she saved him now...he'd run to the Silence and everything would be for naught. But that didn't mean she wanted to see and hear the skulls below eating him alive. She turned and held out the probe, shutting the trapdoor.

The slamming of it seemed to wake up Dorium who blinked awake, "Hello?" he called, "Is someone there?" she turned around and he grinned, "Ah, my lovely Angel! Thank God it's you. The Monks, they turned on me."

"I know," she put a hand on the top of the box, "I was there."

"Give it to me straight! How bad are my injuries?"

"Um..." she began, not quite sure if he was really serious.

He startled laughing, well that answered that question, "Oh, your face!"

~8~

"This is absurd!" Churchill shouted, cutting off her story, "Other worlds, carnivorous skulls, talking heads. I don't know why I'm listening to you."

Angel looked up at him from where she was sitting at the table across from him, "Because in another reality, you and my Mate are good friends. And you sense that, you sense him through me. Just like you sensed there is something wrong with time."

"You mentioned your Mate before as well…"

"Yes," she sighed, rubbing her head, "I'm getting to him…"

"What's he like? Handsome?" he glanced at her, assuming a pretty girl like her must have had a handsome man.

"Bowtie," was all she said.

Churchill nodded a moment, "Tell me more."

~0~

"Oh, it's not so bad, really," Dorium was assuaging her, "As long as they get your box the right way up. I got a media-chip fitted in my head _years_ ago, and the wi-fi down here is excellent. So I keep myself entertained."

"Dorium..." she cut in slightly, "I need to know about the Silence."

"Oh. A religious order of great power and discretion. The sentinels of history, as they like to call themselves."

"And they want the Doctor dead."

"Yes," he sighed, "Quite short-sighted of them really, YOU are the one they should be worried about. But then again they've always been rather narrow-minded and..."

"ME?" Angel shook her head, "I don't understand."

"Their order was founded because your Mate is a man with a long and dangerous past. And his future is infinitely more terrifying. The Silence believe it must be averted."

"And they think I'M dangerous too?" she frowned, though it would make sense...with her foresight, the Vortex...

"Oh good Lord no," he laughed, "They think you're quite the angel."

"But you just said they should be targeting ME?" she shook her head, "Dorium, I'm not as clever as the Doctor you have to explain this to me."

Dorium just gave her a fond look, "You are aware of their core belief yes? About the Question?"

Angel blinked, "'Silence will fall when the Question is asked.'"

"Silence MUST fall would be a better translation. Angel...on the fields of Trenzalore, at the fall of the Eleventh, when no living creature could speak falsely, or fail to answer, a question will be asked. A question that must never, _ever_ be answered."

Angel blinked, looking away...

... _a dark planet floated in space, with angry red cracks like lava, dark clouds in the sky_...

... _a graveyard was filled with gravestones of varying sizes_...

... _an enormous TARDIS stood in the distance, looming in the sky_...

"The Silence are determined the question will never be answered," Dorium continued, pulling her attention back to him, "YOU should never reach Trenzalore."

"Why me?" she whispered, if this question...if it had to do with the Doctor...why should they target her?

"YOU are the _only_ one who can answer the question. The first question. The oldest question in the Universe, hidden in plain sight."

She swallowed hard, feeling cold now, "What is it? What's the question?"

"Are you sure you want to know?" he glanced at the skulls as they turned to look at her, "Very, very sure?"

She nodded, "I need to know."

"Then I shall tell you. But on your own head be it," he laughed and nudged his head for her to lean forward.

She did so and he whispered in her ear the question that had haunted her and the Doctor longer than they even knew.

She pulled back slowly, looking at him, shaken, "But…why do they think _I_ would _ever_ tell the answer?"

"It's not that you WOULD tell," Dorium explained, "It's that you have _the ability_ to tell, the Doctor doesn't. Only one time he can and so on, and he already has. But that rule doesn't apply to _you_ giving the answer does it?"

Angel blinked and looked down, trying to absorb everything she'd just been told, before closing her eyes and shaking her head, "But...if I'M the only one who can answer, why are they STILL going after the Doctor?"

"Because they don't have a clue about it," Dorium smirked, "There are very few people left in this Universe who understand what a Time Lord Mating entails."

Angel eyed him a moment, "And you're one of them?"

"That I am, my dear," he tried to nod, "The Silence...they know you are connected to the Doctor, that if one of you should die then the other will follow. But they don't know how it is forged. I, unlike them, am very aware, every step that is a part of the process, the last," he laughed seeing her blush, "Right to the first. I know which secret you shared with each other."

Angel looked at him, he knew that the first step, the one that had to be done before even trying to establish a mental bond, was to share their names, their true names, with each other. She swallowed hard, needing to be sure of one thing, "They really don't know? You...you didn't tell..."

"Of course not!" he cut in with a slight offended huff, "I'm not mad you know. Have you ANY idea what the Doctor would do to me if it was _I_ who led the Silence to target YOU instead of him?"

Angel nodded, "A fairly good one," she murmured.

And now she knew. The Silence...they wanted the Doctor dead, to avoid the question being asked and answered. And they were after the Doctor because they had NO idea that it was HER that could answer. The Doctor couldn't, he literally couldn't answer that question. The ONLY time a Time Lord could say their true name, was when they were sharing it with their Mate. The Doctor could tell others HER name if he chose, the Doctor's parents could tell others his name, if they were still there, but that was NOT something that was _ever_ done. In the entire Universe, through the course of your life, there were only 4 people who ever knew what your true name was. Your mother, your father, yourself, and your Mate. Of those four, only 3 could use that name freely.

Time Lords were raised to only ever really say their own name once, when sharing it with their Mate.

"You should have told them," she whispered to Dorium, "I would have rather had them target me, than to go after the Doctor for the wrong reason," before Dorium could even speak, she reached out, closing the box and grabbing it as she ran from the room.

~0~

Angel ran into the TARDIS as Dorium continued to yell, muffled, through the box, "It's not my fault! Put me back," she turned and looked around before gently placing him down on the jump seat and rushing to the console, "Ow! I've fallen on my nose."

"Oh no you haven't," she rolled her eyes, glancing at the box, right side up. She went back over to the monitor, pulling up the date and time of her death once more.

"Have you got wi-fi here? I'm bored already and my nose is hurting! We all have to die, Angel...but you more than most. Even if the Silence don't realize it, YOU see that, don't you? You know what the question is now, you do see that you have to die!"

~8~

Angel walked beside Churchill, her arm in his as they entered a larger room, "But what was the question?" Churchill frowned, "Why did it mean your death?"

"Imagine if someone knew a secret that was so terrible and dangerous that, for the sake of everyone, it should never ever be told. How would you get rid of the secret? How do you destroy it forever before it can be spoken?"

"If I had to, I'd destroy the person who knew it," Churchill said reasonably.

"And silence would fall," she nodded, rubbing her head, the silence of a secret unspoken would fall, silence in that the person would never speak it again, "Every single time I heard that, I was so scared it meant the Doctor. But...now I know, I know even if the Silence don't...that it was meant for ME. It was my silence. My death. The Angel will fall," she breathed, looking down before she shivered and suddenly looked around, feeling like she was being watched, "Why are we here?"

"This?! This is the Senate Room."

"But why did we want to leave your office?"

"Well, we wanted a stroll, didn't we?" he frowned, looking at the revolver he was now holding in his hand.

Angel tensed, "I feel like...we were running…" she glanced at him, "Why are you holding a gun?"

"Well...you're dangerous company, Soothsayer."

Angel looked at the back of her hand, seeing a black tick mark, and closed her eyes tightly, realizing what had happened, what was happening, "Yes. For once, I think I am."

"Resume your story."

~0~

"Angel, please open my hatch, I've got an awful headache…" Dorium called.

"Right, sorry," Angel winced and turned to open the box.

"Which to be honest means more than it used to," Dorium continued as she worked on the box, opening it.

"But why Lake Silencio though?" Angel frowned, "Why Utah?"

"It's a still point in time. Makes it easier to create a fixed point. And your death IS a fixed point."

Angel sighed and leaned back against the console to face him, "The Doctor's been running all his life. Running from the war, from the Moment, from the Silence, running to find Ayla…I've been helping him all this time…I…I know he needs to stop, he doesn't deserve to have all these demons after him. He doesn't deserve to have the Silence hunting him when their reason has NOTHING to do with him. It's not fair."

Dorium eyed her, slowly growing frightened, "Angel...are you planning to TELL them you're the only one who can answer the question?" she was silent and he tried to shake his head, "You do that and you will NEVER be able to run away! The Doctor may be able to keep running but you won't be able to run away from that!"

"I'm not running even now Dorium," she reminded him, "I know what's at stake if I tell them. They'll target me. But...too much is at stake. Not just for the Doctor, but the Universe. And if...if my death will make everything alright again..." she trailed off, before nodding to herself, "If I'm going to die, there's someone I need to call, the Doctor's going to need him afterwards…" she turned to the console phone.

"If you're so determined, then what's the point in delaying?" he asked, sensing there was more to her call than what she was letting on, "How long have you delayed already?"

"The Doctor and I have been searching for Ayla, trying to find our daughter…" she swallowed hard, she'd just wanted her baby back before her death date happened, and now it seemed like that wouldn't happen, she would die not knowing where Ayla was or if she was ok, "Seems it was more of a farewell tour for me though…"

Dorium frowned, sensing something about this, "The Doctor doesn't know you came here, does he?"

She shook her head, putting the phone to her shoulder as she looked at him, "I've never really lied to him about anything before, except this. Took me near 200 years just to be able to look him in the eye and act like I'd seem him the next day. He doesn't need this on top of everything else," she turned back to the console, "The more I can spare him, the better."

"Hello?" a voice called on the other end.

"Hello," she began, lifting the phone, "This is the Angel…I'm a friend of the Doctor's. Would it be possible for you to get the Brigadier for me?"

"Miss Angel," the woman on the other end cut in, "I'm so sorry, we didn't know how to contact the Doctor…I'm afraid Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart passed away a few months ago," Angel let out a small breath and shook her head, "Miss?"

"Yes," she nodded, "May I ask…"

"It was very peaceful. He talked a lot about the Doctor, if that's any comfort. Always made us pour an extra brandy in case he came round one of these days."

"Angel?" Dorium called, seeing her tense, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she shook her head, the Brigadier had been _such_ an important part of the Doctor's past, "Nothing. It's just..." she sighed, hanging up the phone, "How do I tell him?" she muttered to herself. She shook her head, and looked at the console where the blue envelopes were resting, "It's time," she whispered, "It's time."

She needed to do this, before all the friends that could comfort him afterwards were gone.

~0~

Angel put the envelopes on a table before the Teselecta, still in the shape of Gideon, "Surely you could deliver the messages yourself," the robot said.

She shook her head, "And cross my own time stream? I shouldn't."

"According to our files, this is the end for you. Your final journey. We'll deliver your messages. You can depend on us."

She smiled, "Thank you."

She turned to head for the door when the robot stood, "Angel, whatever you think of the Teselecta, we _are_ champions of law and order, just as you and your mate have always been. Is there nothing else we can do?"

Angel just lowered her head and walked out the door.

~0~

Amy opened the door for the postman who gave her a blue envelope amongst her other mail.

~8~

"Why would you do this?" Churchill asked as they stood in the Senate room.

~0~

Amy opened the envelope.

~8~

"Of all the things you've told me, this I find hardest to believe."

~0~

River opened her envelope in the Stormcage Facility.

~8~

"Why would you invite your friends to see your death?"

"I had to die," Angel said, thinking back to how they had first seen Amy and Rory in the diner, the expressions on their faces when she and the Doctor saw them again, looking like they were seeing a ghost, the brief flash she had gotten of her being shot by a spacesuit, the dreams she had. It was a paradox, but they had to be there, "I just...I didn't want to die alone."

~0~

"Howdy!" she cheered with a rather good impersonation of Jack's American accent on, making them jump.

"Angel!" Amy gasped, spinning around to hug her, SO happy to see her after so long.

"Amy," she smiled warmly, hugging her tightly.

"So the Doctor's been a busy boy then, eh?"

She rolled her eyes, "Did you _see_ him? He was being completely ridiculous."

"That's what Amy said," Rory smiled.

"Rory the Roman," she beamed, hugging him as well. He squeezed her tight, actually lifting her off the ground a bit as he hugged her, which made her laugh and him smile to hear it.

~8~

"Amy and Rory," Angel smiled softly, "The last Centurion and the Girl Who Waited, Beaky and Red, my companion and his wife…" she shook her head, thoughtful at all their names, "They were always there for me, right from the start, through really...difficult times. When the time comes to leave...you need to remember what you're leaving. Remember the best. The companions, my family, they were always the best of me."

She hadn't been able to bring herself to involve the Doctor. For SO many reasons...but also because...it would hurt too much. Not just to make him watch that, but also...it would kill her if he tried to take her place and died instead.

"And did you tell them this was going to happen like you didn't with this Doctor?" Churchill had to ask.

Angel looked at him with a smile, "It would help if you didn't keep asking questions," she glanced at her hand to see two more tally marks, "We need to hurry..."

~0~

She had _just_ started laughing at that...

When the hat was shot off her head by a bullet.

She tensed, looking back over her shoulder to see River eyeing her coolly.

~8~

"And this woman…" Churchill continued, "Who is she?"

~0~

"Angel," River greeted, absently running a finger along the barrel of her gun.

She nodded back, "River."

~8~

Angel was silent, "River Song, Melody Pond, former psychotic assassin…well I say former…"

~0~

The four of them were sitting at a beautiful lake where the moon was clear in the sky, on picnic blankets, the red car-which-was-actually-the-TARDIS parked behind them…

~8~

"River Song was there twice," she added.

~0~

Angel smiled as she looked at the wine bottle in her hand, "Napoleon tried to gift this to me..." she turned thoughtful, "The Doctor thought he was trying to 'buy my affections' and got in the way," she laughed a bit in memory, "Ended up offending him, so Napoleon threw it at him instead," she held up the bottle, "Salute!"

"Salute!" they clinked their glasses together.

"So when are we going to 1969?" Rory looked at Angel as she poured herself a small glass of wine as well.

~8~

"Everything was all set," she reminisced, "There was only one thing left...for me to die."

~0~

Angel gave the older Canton a small wave which he returned with a solemn nod of his head. But, while Amy was looking at the man, Rory was looking at Angel's expression, resigned, tired, and _scared_.

"Who's he?" Amy looked at Angel, startled, not having expected anyone else.

River stood with a gasp, looking at the lake instead, "Oh my God..."

Amy turned to look, all of them getting up as they saw an astronaut suit standing in the water.

Angel swallowed hard, nodding to her self as she took a breath, "Stay here," she took a few steps forward, "Whatever happens... _don't_ interfere. Ok?" she looked at them a moment before walking straight over to the astronaut.

"That's an astronaut," Rory breathed to Amy, "That's an Apollo astronaut in the lake."

Angel walked up to stand before the astronaut, looking at the ground with tears in her eyes. She closed them a moment before looking up, trying to be brave, "I worked it out, I know it's you," the visor lifted to reveal a smirking River Song, "Not the Doctor here, I know but…here we are, at last…"

River eyed her a moment, "Even if I wanted to, I can't stop this, the suit's too powerful to fight."

"I know," she nodded, recalling when the older version of River had examined the suit, asking if it could move on its own, "And either way, you're not supposed to stop it. This...has to happen."

"You're not going to run?"

She swallowed hard, "If I run...they'll go after the Doctor. And if I run...it'll give them time to find Ayla," and she couldn't risk that. She knew, River being there, meant that Ayla was still out of the Silence's grasp, which she was infinitely thankful for.

"Ah yes," she nodded, "I've heard stories of your daughter, how she was taken from you. I can't say I'm sorry, without her I would never exist, no thanks to YOU," she fixed Angel with a glare.

The Silence...they had been monitoring the timelines, they'd seen them converging on her mother, on Amy...right up until her wedding night...and then...nothing. What else was there to be concluded but that, the events of her wedding night, what most married couples engaged in, would have led to a child but that said child hadn't been conceived. Their scans of Amy when she'd been taken from the Orphanage had proven the woman was NOT pregnant with her. And their monitoring of the Ponds had revealed Angel had been a LARGE part in them not having been left alone long enough for a child to be conceived, for HER to be conceived.

Oh what a child she would have been, human plus Time Lord. Conceived in flight, in the TARDIS, in the Vortex...she'd have been even MORE a match for the Doctor than she was now, more so than Angel could ever hope to be. She imagined she might even be able to regenerate, to live forever, like a Time Lady in every way except maybe having only one heart. She didn't know, and now she never would.

Angel, though, winced at the memory of her baby being torn from her arms and the complete lack of empathy River showed for it, "I know," she whispered, before looking up at River, "And I know...this is where I die, this is where you kill me. This is a fixed point. This must happen. This always happens."

River smirked but then caught sight of someone to her left and glanced over, she looked a bit stunned to see _herself_ standing there, Amy and Rory not so much, but her… "That's me. Why am I here?"

"That's you from the future. You're serving time for my murder."

She turned to glare at Angel, "Why show me this? Trying to make me feel guilty? To try and stop me?!"

Angel shook her head, "It's so we both see that this is inevitable," she corrected, taking a breath, "You are Amy and Rory's daughter, my companion's child, even if they don't see it like that," and she didn't know if they ever would, " _I_ do."

How could she not? Looking at River was like looking at Jenny, both were created and not born, both had parents denying their familial ties to them, but...Jenny hadn't tried to kill her. She closed her eyes a moment, it was like the Doctor had told the girl, it was all about CHOICE, Jenny had chosen to stop, to not kill, River was choosing TO kill, but even then...all she saw when she looked at River...was Rory's daughter, was a girl who had been raised to do this, had been conditioned to, who had no choice, she just...wished that the others could see it too.

"And that is more than enough reason for you to know, that I forgive you Melody," she looked at River, "Because what happened to you wasn't your fault."

Angel nodded to herself, that was all she wanted to say, so she gestured at the blaster affixed to River's arm and closed her eyes once more, bracing herself, and whispered one final message across her bond, not sure if he would hear it...but needing to say it before it was too late.

' _Goodbye Theta, I love you._ '

River's expression hardened, she didn't want forgiveness, least of all from Angel. There was nothing that needed to be forgiven in her mind. The Angel was so...stupid, wasn't she? She thought she was doing this because of her training? Ha! No, she was doing what she wanted. She had always done and would always do that. The Silence themselves hadn't been able to control her, they'd wanted her to kill the Doctor, she'd targeted the Angel. She wasn't here because they forced her, she was there because this was her chance to finally get rid of the Time Lady, to get rid of her and kill her before regeneration set in, she knew exactly how to do it. And she was all too ready for what would come after. She wanted the Doctor, she would get him, and Angel, finally, wouldn't stop her. Neither would the Doctor.

With Angel dying, the Doctor would be too, but better yet...he'd come to find her, he'd come to try and find his Mate...and then...as he slowly died...she could slip the bracelet onto him and...well...she'd have quite a bit of fun showing him what life without being bound to the Angel could be like. She always did love a challenge.

She slowly raised the arm of the suit, moving with it, to aim at Angel, the girl standing there with her head bowed…

A moment later a shot was fired and Angel fell to the ground…

Angel's eyes snapped open as she gasped from where she'd been tackled to the side...to see the Doctor beside her on the ground where they'd fallen, the Time Lord looking both fearful and murderous, a Vortex Manipulator strapped to his wrist. She started shaking her head, her eyes wide, no, no, no, no, no this COULDN'T be happening.

"What have you _done_?!" she demanded, he'd ruined EVERYTHING!

"Saved you that's what!" he actually shouted at her, starting to glare, "What were you thin…"

His words died away as a bright flash of light engulfed them all…

~8~

Angel stood on the opposite end of the Senate Room, across from Churchill, "Well?" he asked her, "What happened?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" he walked over.

"Nothing happened," she turned to him, "And nothing KEEPS happening. Everything keeps happening. It'll continue forever, till it all falls apart. Don't you see? Time is dying. Right now, it's 5:02 in the afternoon on April the 22nd, and it will always be that way, forever."

He moved to counter that...when he sniffed rather odd, "Gun smoke," he murmured, "That's gun smoke!" he lifted his revolver, "I appear to have fired this."

She nodded, looking down at her arm, more marks, "I think you're trying to protect us."

"I don't understand."

"The Silence that I told you about...they're memory-proof."

"But what does that mean?"

She glanced around the room and slowly tried to back him out of it, "It means that, if you see them, you can't remember them when you look away. It's like you forget they were here," she glanced at her hand, even more tick marks, "We should be ok if there's only a few of them..."

Churchill looked down at her hand, seeing only a few marks, "Well that's a relief."

She shook her head and held up her other hand, absolutely _covered_ in tally marks up to her elbow, "Not so much."

They slowly heard a clicking noise and looked up to see a mass of Silent hanging from the ceiling like bats. A moment later Angel looked at the floor, seeing a ghostly image of a cylinder-like device being thrown into the room, beeping and expelling gas...and smiled.

Churchill looked down a moment later, when something hit the floor, a cylindrical device rolling towards them, beeping, "Run!" he shouted, trying to pull her out but the device went off, expelling a flash of light and gas into the room.

Angel was thrown to the ground from the blast as armed soldiers burst in with guns, "Go!" one ordered, "Go! Keep the Silence in sight at all times, keep your eye drives active."

The soldiers kept their guns aimed at the ceiling as a woman in a black suit sauntered in, "Who the devil are you?!" Churchill demanded, trying to see her through the smoke, "Identify yourselves!"

Angel pushed herself up onto her elbows and looked over to see Amy walk in.

"Pond," Amy said, looking down at them, wearing an eye patch of her own, "Amelia Pond."

Churchill aimed his gun at her, when Angel reached over and pushed it down, "No! She's here to help, it's ok," she looked up at Amy as she stepped closer and...raised a gun at the Time Lady.

Amy hesitated only a moment, when Angel gave her an infinitesimal nod before she fired the gun...

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's MUCH more to what Angel is doing and the reason why the Silence are letting this happen than anyone might know }:) Quite a few things will be explained in this episode. And that's all I'll say about this chapter }:)
> 
> But...I hope you liked the title ;)


	43. The Rejection of River Song: What's Happening?

Angel came around on a slightly rocking train she recognized as the Orient Express, a ceiling fan lazily spinning above her from where she was lying on a small cot, "The Government has again apologized for extensive radio interference caused by solar flare and sun spot activity," a radio was saying in the background.

She groaned just a bit and sat up on her elbows, looking over at Amy as she leaned in the doorway of the office compartment, still in her black suit and eye patch, "Amy?"

"Those stun guns aren't fun, I'm sorry," she apologized, "I wanted to avoid a long conversation. You need to get up though, we'll be in Cairo shortly."

Angel eyed her a moment longer before glancing around the room, seeing various sketches of their adventures in the TARDIS, of the Doctor, her, Daleks, the Pandorica, the pirates, Silurians, and more before something on the small desk table caught her eye. She stood up and walked over, picking up a small model TARDIS lying there. She smiled at it and looked at Amy, " _Amy_?"

Amy sighed, "You know it's really annoying that you're psychic, the Doctor would have been freaking out trying to get me to 'remember' him."

Angel just smiled, "Like a chicken with his head cut off yeah?"

Amy laughed and eyed her, "You look rubbish."

"Well you look lovely," she hugged her.

"I've got something for you," Amy pulled away, moving to a small cupboard and pulling out a TARDIS blue tunic-style dress and black cowboy boots, holding them up to her.

"Well," Angel eyed them as she took them from Amy, "As the Doctor would say, Geronimo."

~8~

Angel stood before Amy dressed in her typical outfit, her hair pulled half-up, half-down as it always was. Amy sat down at the desk in the back of the room as Angel looked around, "Why have you got an office on a train?"

"Aren't you supposed to be psychic?" Amy countered, a small frown on her face, that would have been something she thought Angel would have been able to sense.

She shook her head, "Hard to see the future when all time is happening at once," Amy nodded, that made sense, "And also…that eye patch…" she shook her head, it reminded her too much of Kovarian and the other operatives of the Silence, it worried her.

"It's not an eye patch. Time's gone wrong. Some of us noticed. There's a whole team of us working on it even Donna! She's trying to round up Jack and the others but..." she hesitated a moment, "They, um, it doesn't seem like they remember. Torchwood, UNIT, and Sarah Jane are all trying to figure it out themselves. They...know something happened to time but...they don't remember me, they don't trust me," she looked at Angel, hoping she hadn't upset the Time Lady by telling her her family had basically forgotten her...again.

Angel though just nodded sadly, "It makes sense..." she looked at Amy, knowing the girl remembered because of the crack on her wall, "We'll sort it all out and they'll be just fine again."

Amy smiled at her optimism and got up, walking over to her to give her another large hug, "I've missed you!"

Angel hugged her back tightly, "Where's Rory?" she asked pulling away.

"My husband Rory, yeah?" Amy moved and picked up a sketch that was sitting on her desk, "That's him, isn't it? I've no idea, I can't find him. I love him very much, don't I?"

Angel smiled at the sketch, Amy's interpretation of her husband which made Rory out to be a very strong, confident, masculine man...which she knew he was, it was so touching to see his inner strength coming out to Amy's memory, the man deserved to be seen that way, "Very much," she nodded.

"I have to keep doing this. I have to keep writing and drawing things. It's just so hard to keep remembering..." she leaned on the desk.

"It's not your fault, Amy," Angel put a hand on Amy's arm, "Something happened to time..." she eyed the girl, "Do you remember what?"

"The lakeside…"

She nodded, "Lake Silencio, Utah. I, um...died."

"But then you didn't," Amy's face scrunched as she tried to picture it, "I remember it twice, different ways."

Angel nodded again, so it was exactly the crack in her wall that was letting her do it. It was just like how she'd remembered two versions of her own life, with her parents and without. She understood that was why Torchwood and UNIT and Sarah Jane didn't remember but Donna did. That part of HER that had gotten to Donna must have protected her mind much like she'd been protected from the Master turning everyone into himself. She didn't doubt Donna would be able to get through to Jack, Martha, Mickey, and Sarah Jane, but...she didn't have to be psychic to know she wouldn't do it in time.

"Because it _did_ happen twice, two ways. It's like...two different versions of the exact same event happening at once...it was too much, split time in half and now it's just...falling apart," she looked out the window, at the desert, "Everything, every event in history, is happening at the same time."

"Does it matter? I mean can't we just stay like this?"

She shook her head sadly, "It's not like it's stuck Amy, it's not like it's on a loop. It'll keep going, all those events still happening the same way, battles and wars in the same spots, but from different times?" she looked back at Amy, "It'll cause disintegration. Maybe not right now but...it'll spread, Earth will be the epicenter and it'll spread, like a virus, among the stars until, eventually, the whole of reality will just...fall apart."

Amy swallowed hard, that didn't seem good did it?

"What can we do?" Amy asked her.

But before Angel could answer, there was a knock on the door and a soldier leaned in, wearing an eye patch. Angel smiled, seeing Rory, "Ma'am, we're about to arrive," he told Amy, "Eye drives need to be activated as soon as we disembark."

"Good point," Amy nodded, "Thank you, Captain Williams."

"Hello," Angel called, giving him a little wave, "I'm Angel."

Rory looked at her a moment, a frown starting to come to his face as he eyed her, seeming like he was trying to place where he might have seen her before, when he blinked and shook his head, "Hello, ma'am. Pleased..." he shook his head, "Nice to meet you."

Angel smiled widely at that, at the little slip that told her the Rory who knew her might be in there somewhere, "Nice to meet you too."

"Captain Williams, best of the best, couldn't live without him," Amy told her.

As Rory turned and walked away, Angel looked back at the sketch, "You really couldn't."

"What?" Amy looked at her, not having heard her as she'd been watching 'Captain Williams' disappear down the hall.

"Amy..." Angel put the sketch down, "You'll definitely find Rory again, I promise," she crossed her hearts.

"I thought you said you weren't psychic right now," Amy eyed Angel suspiciously.

"I'm not," Angel reassured her, "But he's closer than you think," she glanced at the door, "You need to _look_ though."

"I _am_ looking."

"Not hard enough."

"Why are you older?" Amy asked, eyeing her a moment, not wanting to talk about Rory any longer, it...hurt...a lot to know that Rory was out there and she hadn't found him yet, she was worried and scared and she just...didn't want to think about everything that could happen to him, "If time isn't really passing, then how can you be aging?"

"Because time IS passing for me," Angel sighed, pushing off the desk to walk away a few feet, "You remember the cracks? How they were the result of something exploding?" she turned to Amy to see her frown and nod, "The TARDIS was the epicenter of it. And..." she swallowed hard, "I'M the epicenter for this one. I'm what's gone wrong."

"What's wrong with you?" Amy shook her head, not following.

Angel closed her eyes a moment before opening them again, solemn, "I'm not dead."

~8~

The train rode along a trestle that took it directly into a pyramid painted with an American flag on the side labeled 'Area 52' with a spire on top of it.

~8~

Rory led the way down a narrow set of stairs into the pyramid as Angel looked at the eye patch in her hands closely, "You have to put it on, ma'am," Rory called to her, seeing her hesitate to wear it.

"It's Angel, not ma'am," she told him with a smile, having repeated it for what must have been the tenth time in two minutes before looking at Amy, "Why do you need these eye patches for anyway?"

"It's not an eye patch," Amy replied.

"It's an eye _drive_ , ma'am," Rory added.

"Angel," Angel cut in.

"It communicates directly with the memory centers of the brain," Rory continued, "Acts as external storage."

"Only thing that works on them," Amy remarked, "Because no living mind can remember these things," she gestured to the side where a Silent was standing.

Angel frowned as she looked at the containment room they'd entered. It was like a room with these chambers in the walls, full of Silence suspended in some sort of fluid.

"The Silence," Rory added, "We've captured over 100 of them now, all held in this Pyramid."

Angel walked up to one of them, eyeing it, "We've met them before, the lot of us," she murmured, "Drove the Doctor mad not knowing what they looked like at first…"

The Silent tilted its head to look at her, its eyes narrowing.

"Put your eye drive on and you'll retain the information," Amy told her, "But only as long as you're wearing it."

Angel looked back at them, recalling Kovarian once more, "The Silence...their operatives all wear those patches."

"They'd have to."

"This way," Rory called, leading them through the room, the Silence all watching Angel as she passed, the Time Lady putting on the patch. Rory frowned, seeing how intently the Silence were moving to watch her go, "They seem to be noticing you."

"Yes, they do," Angel remarked softly, they would.

She had feared that the Silence might be at the lake, as they clearly had something to do with it all. So...she'd fixed the Chameleon Circuit on the TARDIS. She'd needed to make sure that, IF the Silence were there...that they knew SHE was the only one who had come to the lake, that the Doctor was somewhere else, not with her, not able to GET to her. Fixing the Circuit was all she could think of to prove that as the Doctor would NEVER have let that happen, have let them go anywhere but in a blue police telephone box. She hated to do it, because she did love the old girl just how she was...but she needed something BIG to prove to whoever might be watching that she had come alone.

And now she knew, for sure, that the Silence had been at the lake, Amy's remark of seeing someone out there made sense. The Silence _had_ been there to watch, to make sure that the deed was done and finished this time, that Melody/River wouldn't fail again. She hoped that, when this was resolved and time picked up once more, that the Silence wouldn't remember the Doctor's interference.

"So why aren't the Human Race killing them on sight anymore?" Amy asked her.

Angel winced at that reminder, she knew it was something the Doctor regretted even more now that he remembered her, that he'd let himself be so influenced by River as to do that, to commit genocide once more, "That was a different reality now," she glanced at the tanks, "Why do you have them in tanks?"

"They can draw electricity from anything, it's how they attack," Rory explained, "The fluid insulates them…" he frowned, watching as a Silent looked right at Angel, almost angrily, and felt a strange wave of protectiveness surge in him, "And I _don't_ like how the way they're looking at you," he moved closer to her, almost stepping in front of her to block the Silent's gaze.

Angel gave him a small smile at the action, "Me neither."

Rory nodded and turned to Amy, "Ma'am, I'm sure it's nothing, but I should check it out. They haven't been this active in a while," he turned to the soldiers that had accompanied them, "You two, upstairs, check all the tank seals. Then the floors above, get everyone checking."

"Sir!" the soldiers saluted before leaving.

"You go ahead, Ma'am."

"Thank you, Captain Williams," Amy nodded, "Angel, this way," she turned and headed off with Angel following as Rory checked the tanks.

"Captain Williams…" Angel remarked, "Do you know his first name?"

"Captain," she replied, "Just through here."

Angel shook her head at that a moment, Amy reminded her of Donna a bit, not quite seeing the whole picture or the reason for the questions, "Could you give me a mo?" she asked, "I just want to thank Captain Williams properly," she put a hand on Amy's arm, signaling for her to wait as she turned back to dash off.

"We're in," Amy said into a speaker on her lapel, "She's on her way."

Angel walked over to Rory as he looked at the seals on the tanks, "It always happens like this for us, doesn't it?" she asked him, "The loyal ones, standing in front of them, waiting to be noticed."

"Sorry, ma'am?" Rory glanced at her.

" _Angel_ ," Angel corrected, before leaning against the wall, "You know, you should ask Amy to dinner one day. I think she likes you. She said so even."

"Really, ma'am?" Rory looked closer at the tank, trying to play off his desire to know as disinterest, "What did she say?"

"If only you knew…" Angel smiled.

Rory frowned, "What exactly what did she say?"

"I'll tell you...if you promise to stop calling me ma'am, Rory," Angel smiled, seeing his eye widen in shock that she knew his first name, though...having been briefed by Amy about the Angel's abilities, he shouldn't have been so surprised. She waited till he gave her a nod of agreement, before continuing, "She said…" she paused, not really wanting to lie, and smiled, "That there were some men who, once you get to know them, turn into the _most beautiful_ people they've ever met…and that's you, to her."

Rory blinked and looked at her, startled and touched and hopeful, "She…she really said that?"

"Once," she nodded.

Rory was silent a moment before nodding, "See you in a moment, ma..." he caught himself, "Angel."

"Be careful Rory," she nodded and headed back to Amy.

"Come on, Angel," Amy called, seeing the Time Lady returning, "Time for you to meet some...old friends."

~8~

"Attention, all personnel," Rory called into the speakers, "Attention all personnel. Please check all assigned containment units."

Amy led Angel into a large open chamber, the base of the unit, the King's Chamber of the Great Pyramid. Angel stopped dead when she spotted a woman in a white lab coat speaking to someone, clearly the one in charge, "You were right. Just her _presence_ in the building caused the loop to extend by nearly _four chronons_!" the woman gestured to a digital clock as it flickered between 5:02:57 and 5:02:58.

However, that _wasn't at all_ what had made her stop, really it was two things. In the center of the room was Madam Kovarian, tied to a chair, with her arms behind her back, River standing beside her, her arms also appearing bound before her in handcuffs. And the second…was the person the woman was speaking to…

The Doctor turned around and looked at her a moment, "You're late. That's a first."

Angel's mouth dropped open, slowly shaking her head as she stared at him with wide eyes, " _How_ …" that was all that came out of her.

"I _heard_ you," he told her, not making a move to get closer to her though he seemed to be shaking from the effort of it, "I heard you call _goodbye_ to me and I _knew_ something was wrong," he shook his head, "Luckily for _me_ the museum had a small collection of Vortex Manipulators in stock, so I snagged myself one and went after you," and then he seemed to grow a bit angry, "And after I saved you I ended up back in the museum and, guess what, the Manipulators don't work when _time_ isn't working…but I had the sonic, it picked up a distress call sent out to the Universe all the way from Earth, and do you know what it said?" she shook her head, not sure if he was angry with her or the situation or both, "'Please help, the Angel is in danger,'" he shook his head, blinking, feeling tears in them, everything was getting to him, "How could I ignore that? So I followed it here, across the galaxies, to this base, to try and help you…" he stormed over to her, "So tell me, what is going on?!"

"The death of time," Kovarian smirked behind him, "The end of time. The end of us all…"

"Shut up!" the Doctor spat at her, in _no_ mood, he wanted answers and he wanted them _now_. He turned to Angel once more, "What danger, Angel? What is there that you _still_ aren't telling me?"

It was _killing_ him to not know.

Did she have any idea what it felt like? To be dashing through the museum, happy as he could be given the fact they hadn't found Ayla yet, thinking they were playing a game, thinking Angel was right behind him...and then to hear THAT! To hear her say goodbye...he'd panicked! He'd run straight back to where the TARDIS had been, HAD BEEN, to see it was gone, and not even on invisible. The sonic told him the box wasn't anywhere IN the museum and had grabbed a Vortex Manipulator, broken a glass case around them, nabbed one as the guards ran at him. He'd soniced it to pick up the TARDIS signal and teleported there...right in time to see her standing at a lake, her head bowed, River, Amy, Rory, and an old man watching...as the astronaut suit they'd encountered earlier lifted its arm.

And he'd _seen_ it, the blaster affixed to it its arm...and bolted.

He'd run faster than he EVER had before...till he'd crashed into her just in time. He hadn't even had time to try and keep her from hitting the ground first, to twist so that HE hit it with her on top of him, he just HAD to get her out of the way of the blast! He'd rolled over, catching a glimpse of River within the suit, before he turned to Angel...and then...

White.

Just white...

And then nothing and everything all at once.

"Angel..." he continued, trying to be very, VERY calm, but...all his mind went to was what he'd learned after bringing Amy-O to Torchwood. Angel had _sworn_ that she _didn't_ feel that way anymore, but...had she been lying to him? What else was she there? Why else would she just stand there and let River KILL her?!

Angel though, just looked away, unable to tell him, unable to admit to the secret she'd kept for over 200 years.

He'd opened his mouth to ask her again...when Amy cleared her throat. He looked up to see her gesturing at one of the computers stationed beside her. He frowned, seeing a picture of Angel, wearing the blue Stetson and black vest he'd left her in the museum wearing. But there was information beside it...information that made his hearts freeze and his blood run cold.

Her death date.

The time and location that the Vortex Manipulator had taken him to, at the lake and he realized...she hadn't been trying to kill herself, but she _had_ been letting herself be killed...because...it said 'Fixed Point' below it.

His eyes widened as his breath caught in his throat, "No…" he whispered, shaking his head as he turned back to Angel, "No!" he grabbed her arm, wanting her to tell him herself that it wasn't true...when time suddenly resumed.

The scientist's eyes widened as the clock moved to 5:03, "It's moving. Time's moving!"

The Doctor, however, heard none of this, because, for one brief moment he was back in the museum, grabbing a Vortex Manipulator and strapping it to his arm...

The Doctor pulled away with a gasp, now back in the pyramid once more. He looked at Angel, stunned at what had happened, horrified because he _knew_ why time had resumed only when _he'd_ touched her.

"We're the opposite ends of the disruption," Angel said softly, tears in her eyes as she looked at him, "I was meant to die and _you_ altered it. If we touch, the time differential is shorted out and time can begin again."

"And you'll _die_ ," he breathed, his hearts breaking at the thought, every single instinct inside him telling him that was wrong, that was SO wrong, his MATE was NOT meant to die, he had to _protect_ her, he had to keep her alive and _save_ her...it was blocking out _every single instinct_ he had as a simple Time Lord, that time was wrong and should be fixed.

All he saw was his Mate would be killed if he so much as _touched_ her.

"And time _won't fall apart_ ," she shook her head, "Reality will heal. There _isn't_ another way Doctor. It was a _Fixed Point_!"

"But how is _your death_ a fixed point?" he breathed, still too stunned to truly process what that meant or why she was pushing this so much. She HAD to know what her death would do to him, she had never...she'd _never_ want anyone else to suffer, and that was what she'd be condemning him to do. It...it didn't make sense!

"You can't hear it," she whispered.

"Hear what?"

"The song," she murmured, "I _keep_ hearing it, over and over...different versions, but they all mean the same thing."

"What song?!" he demanded, wanting answers now. He'd been patient, SO patient, for her, 200 years of patience, and he knew he could go longer, he could go forever if it meant helping her. But THIS? This was NOT helping her, this was condemning her to DIE!

He realized now, why Amy, Rory, and a future River had seemed so startled to see Angel in the diner, so relieved and upset at the same time. The devastation in Rory's eyes alone alerted him to _exactly_ what they'd witnessed before they'd met the Ponds in the diner. The time, the place... _different_ times from the invitations he'd received to the time that Angel had nearly died...they'd seen her die. And the devastation...their reaction...going on that...she HADN'T regenerated, she'd really and truly _died_. How could he be patient when Angel's LIFE was on the line?!

Angel bit her lip a moment...when Kovarian began to speak, "'Tick tock goes the clock, she cradled him and kept him well. Tick tock goes the clock, till River kills the Angel,'" she laughed as the Doctor glared at her, "And the best part is, it was meant to be _you_ , Doctor, who died at the lakeside."

The Doctor's mouth nearly dropped open in confusion, "What?" he whispered, praying this didn't mean what he thought it meant...that Angel had taken his place.

Kovarian grinned, "It was meant to be _you_ , Doctor," she repeated, "YOU were the entire reason our order was created, to stop you, to put an end to the danger you and your secrets bring on the Universe. But in the end, all it took was one decision to alter the fixed point from you," she gave him a look and then over it to Angel, "To her."

The Doctor's eyes widened as his gaze traveled to River. As soon as he had seen her in the pyramid with Amy and Rory, he had ordered her handcuffed for the simple fact that _she_ had been in the astronaut suit, _she_ had been the one killing Angel whether willingly or unwillingly…but _now_ he realized, she had been all too willing. She had apparently _agreed_ to this. She had decided and chosen to kill Angel instead of him and because of that…Angel's death was now a fixed point in time.

 _His Mate's death_.

Amy and Rory, though they didn't know it was Rory then, had been confused as to why he was ordering River restrained, till he'd revealed she was in the suit. Rory hadn't had a clue what they were talking about, not sure what that had to do with anything, but Amy had reacted with shock and horror. Both of them had believed that River's 'murdering' someone had already been done in Berlin. Angel had literally died for a few seconds before the antidote had managed to work, River HAD killed her. But...now they both realized how WRONG they'd been. RORY had realized it first, had asked about River's murdering someone in the future, had been more realistic than hopeful like he and Amy had been...and this Rory didn't even remember that.

He looked at River once more, "But killing her would mean killing _me_."

River just smiled at him, "I knew you'd show up either to save her or to find me. You'd fight the Mating killing you tooth and nail till you could confront me," she smirked, "And by then you'd be too weak to really stop me from slipping this," she lifted her hands, revealing the Dampening Bracelet on her wrist, "Bio-coded to _me_ , onto you. That way, only _I_ could take it off you."

The Doctor glared at her, utterly disgusted by her _obsession_ with him and disregard for Angel. It was...completely terrifying how...similar she and Angel were but yet SO different! Angel had once done the same, bio-coded something to her so that only SHE could take it off and to save him just like River intended...but Angel...she'd nearly killed herself to do it! She'd taken in the Vortex, nearly killed herself, nearly burned out both her hearts, and even then...she hadn't _killed_ anyone else to do it! Not even the Daleks, their worst enemies ever, she hadn't been able to kill them in her quest.

Yet here River was...willing to kill Angel, to 'save' him, willing to force him to live on after the death of his Mate with something bio-coded to her, to 'save' him, and it was just...revolting to him, "And what makes you think _she_ ," he nearly spat at Kovarian, "Would let you do that? That she would let you keep me alive."

"Well I wasn't going to kill _you_ ," River shrugged, glancing at Madam Kovarian, who _did_ seem irritated with what the Doctor was saying for some reason, "It was such a basic mistake, wasn't it, Madam Kovarian? Take a child, raise her into a perfect psychopath, introduce her to _the Doctor_. Who else was I going to fall in love with?" and back to the Doctor, "They needed _me_ to kill one of you, you wouldn't have fought against the child of your companions, and if they wanted me to do it...the only way _that_ would happen was to make the target...her," she smirked at Angel.

And then Kovarian started to laugh, "Did you _really_ believe it would be _that_ easy?" she asked River.

River stiffened and looked at Kovarian, the slightest bit of alarm in her eyes, "What?"

"We were _watching_ Melody," she smirked, "At the lake, we had Silence everywhere, watching you. The _moment_ you succeeded...they would have stopped you. Surely you had to realize your weapons reserves only had enough power for four shots? Just enough to kill a Time Lord," she started to tsk her, "You wouldn't have been able to stop them apprehending you, taking that ridiculous bracelet away," she shook her head, "And then...when the Doctor arrived, oh," she laughed again, "You weren't there at Demons Run, you didn't see the rage and fury in his eyes when his Mate was simply in danger. Had you killed her...there would be _no stopping him_ from ending you as well...before he himself died. Truly the perfect self-cleaning mission, the reason we allowed you to target her this time. You kill her," she nodded at Angel, "Which kills him," and then the Doctor, "As well, but not before he went after _you_."

River just stared at her, her mouth open, betrayed. All present could see that she honestly _hadn't_ considered they would do that to _her_ , that THAT was their reason behind it. Perhaps it was her training or an aftereffect of the Silence's persuasion that she trust Kovarian…whatever it was, her shock was real. However, the Doctor couldn't seem to make himself care about whether or not River had been tricked in some small way, the fact still stood that because of her actions his Mate needed to die, the fact remained River had CHOSEN to KILL her.

"You shouldn't have tried to stop her the first time," Angel murmured and they all looked at her in shock, "You didn't even need to create her, you didn't need to _hurt_ her, to condition her or whatever you did," she told the woman, stepping closer to her, not seeing River's expression turn into a glare at how she assumed Angel was speaking that she shouldn't have existed at all now, "Because you had ME, in Demons Run."

"You are NOT our prime target," Kovarian countered. Yes, the Silence viewed the Doctor as the destroyer, but equally they understood that Angel was a way to kill him as well. Had they had the bracelet in Demons Run, instead of learning that Melody had taken it in Berlin, they would have simply killed her then, as a means to kill the Doctor too.

"I should have been," she whispered, moving to squat before the woman, "Because I know what the Question is," Kovarian tensed, the Doctor frowning behind her, not able to see into her mind what the question was at that moment, "And I know that the Doctor..." she shook her head, "He CAN'T answer it. He literally _cannot_ speak the answer," she looked Kovarian in the eye, "I don't lie Madam Kovarian, so believe me when I say...I'M the only one who can."

"Angel what are you doing?!" the Doctor cried, alarmed, fearful she was trying to make herself even more a target, take his place like she had at the lake.

"A Time Lord can only speak their own name, when they share it with their Mate," she told Kovarian quietly, so quietly that only she, River, and the Doctor could hear, "But their Mate...can speak it freely. So you see," she gave the woman a sad smile, "All this time you've wasted, all this time you've been targetting the wrong person," she stood up, "I'M the one that can answer the question," she glanced at River, "The ONLY one," she added, knowing that the Doctor had NOT told River his name yet...they...they didn't even really know _how_ it was possible for River to know. Yes, SHE could have told River the Doctor's name but that was NOT something that was EVER done, not ever. The true name of your Mate was a secret you _took_ to the _grave_! It was _not_ something you just...told someone.

And...then there was the fact that River herself had implied heavily that it was _the Doctor_ who told her his name, NOT her. And she could usually tell when people were lying to her and River hadn't been. But...it didn't make sense now that she was still alive, unless River managed to get the bracelet on him or used the Silence to make him think she was his Mate or about to Mate to her...but Kovarian had proved that would NOT happen.

Kovarian had proved that they didn't care for Melody Pond, if they were willing to let the Doctor murder her as a way to clean up their own mess and stop the psychopath they truly had no control over.

River's eyes narrowed at that, at what she perceived to be a dig against her, that Angel knew the Doctor's greatest secret while SHE didn't. She had spent _ages_ researching the Doctor, she was well aware that his name was hidden from the Universe, and now, to know that ONLY Angel knew...well, that would have to change. She was NOT going to let Angel be the only person who knew such a secret, not when the Time Lady didn't deserve to know it, she was NOT the best match for the Doctor.

"Angel..." the Doctor began, shaking his head, not sure at all what had just happened, why she had told them that, what the question was, or...anything really. He truly had NO idea what was going on...and it was worrying him a great deal. He felt like...Angel was slipping away from him.

Angel just turned back to him, feeling more secure now that one of the main fears she had had been dealt with, Kovarian and the Silence wouldn't be hunting the Doctor anymore, at least not because of 'the Question,' even if they might still want him dead for other dangers they thought he posed. Now that just left one last problem to be resolved, the biggest one, "Reality is fatally compromised," she said, trying to get them back to their most imminent threat. She looked at the Doctor, "You understand what that means," he looked away, closing his eyes tightly, "As long I'm alive, time is _dying_."

"Because of _you_ ," the Doctor glared at River, "River."

"Because I refused to kill the man I love?" River gaped at him, offended that he would blame HER for this! Yes, she pulled the trigger, but ANGEL was the one who came to the lake. So what if SHE had decided to kill Angel instead, how was it all HER fault? It was a fixed point! Angel had said it numerous times, it HAD to happen. Did it really matter if HER choice had made Angel the one that had to be at the lake?

"No," he shook his head, "Because you _agreed_ to kill the woman _I_ love and I'm _not_ about to let her die."

"Doctor," Angel shook her head, this was taking too long, every moment they wasted was another where...where it all might fall apart, where everything might...fail.

~8~

One of the Silence waited till the soldiers passed by before pressing its hand to the glass. The area around its fingertips started to crack...

~8~

Rory walked past a container, checking the seals...when he spotted water dripping from the ceiling…and, thus distracted, he failed to see the water coming down the stairs.

~8~

"There are so many theories about you and I, you know," River cut in, seeing the start of a tender moment for the Time Lords and refusing to watch it happen.

"Idle gossip," the Doctor waved her off, turning to Angel, his entire focus on her.

"Archaeology."

"Same thing."

River frowned, seeing him not turning away from Angel and walked over to him, hiding her frown as he stepped back from her and closer to Angel without touching the Time Lady, "Am I the woman who marries you or the woman who murders your Mate?"

His jaw tensed as his gaze hardened at the reminder, "I _don't_ want to marry you."

"I didn't want to murder _you_ ," she countered.

He looked at her, how she'd said _nothing_ about murdering Angel, and shook his head, "I will _never_ marry you. Least of all would I marry the one who _murders_ my _Mate_ ," he reached out and grabbed the Dampening Bracelet off her arm, holding it up to her, "And THIS? I would rather _die_ than let you put this on me," he nearly sneered, tossing it onto a desk beside them, making River glare at him.

"Doctor," Angel tried again, reaching for him.

"No!" he jumped back, avoiding her hand, "You mustn't," he told her.

She shook her head, "We _must_ ," she countered, "You know what will happen if I continue on," she looked at him sadly but he could see a resignation in her eyes, "You _know_."

He shook his head, tears in his eyes as he stared at her, mouth open in horror, "Either I never get to touch you again and creation falls apart around up, with billions of peopled dying…or I touch you and YOU die…" he swallowed hard, it went against _everything_ the Mating stood for, to touch her would be the same as murdering her, and he just...he _couldn't_ do it, she was his MATE, she was the most important woman in the Universe to him, she _was_ his entire Universe...as terrible as it was to say, he would always pick her over anyone and everyone else, she was his whole world, "What kind of choice is that?"

"It's not a choice," Angel told him pleadingly.

He nodded, "You're damn right it's not," and took a step back from her, refusing to touch her.

Angel let out a little sigh and stepped up to him, "That's _not_ what I meant."

He shook his head, "Angel…" his voice grew quiet, "I don't want you to die…" he shook his head, shaking as he tried NOT to reach out to her, "I don't want you to leave me...I..." he swallowed hard, "I can't bear that...I can't survive that."

She opened her mouth to respond when a drop of water fell on her head. She reached up and felt it before looking up. The others did as well, spotting a line of water running from the ceiling.

~8~

Rory watched as another Silent pressed its hand against the glass and cracked it, another creeping up, unseen, behind him...

~8~

"The pyramid above us," the Doctor looked at Amy, alarmed, "How many Silence do you have trapped inside it?"

"None," Kovarian called, "They're not trapped, they never have been. They've been waiting for this, Doctor..." she smirked at Angel, now knowing that, through _her_ they could kill two birds with one stone, they could rid the Universe of the Doctor AND his name by ending her, "For your Mate!"

Just then, Rory ran into the room, "They're out! All of them!"

~8~

Soldiers tried to hold back the Silence as they escaped but the aliens just electrocuted them, the guns having no effect against them.

~8~

A pair of soldiers placed a thick plank of wood across the doors of the King's Chamber, "No one gets in here!" a soldier called.

Rory turned to Amy, "Ma'am, my men out there should be able to lock this down, we have them outnumbered."

"And you're wearing eye drives based on mine, I think," Kovarian grinned, "Oops!"

"What do you mean?" the Doctor looked at her.

Angel's eyes widened as she ran over to the female scientist as she screamed and grabbed her eye drive, she reached out and quickly pulled it off, dropping the electrified object to the ground as it shocked her hand.

Rory ran to another soldier whose eye drive began to malfunction as well.

~8~

Between the Silence and the eye drives the soldiers around the facility fell quickly.

~8~

The Doctor groaned as his eye drive went live, "Eye pads off, now!" he shouted, pulling off his eye drive before moving to help Angel...only to freeze, realizing he couldn't touch her, "Remove them!"

Amy ran over to Angel as she stumbled back against the desk, trying to help her pull hers off...when her own started to go haywire. Angel fell against the desk, one hand resting on it, the other coming to her eye drive...it sparked golden, short circuiting and falling off, before she reached out to help Amy.

"The Silence would _never_ allow an advantage, without taking one themselves," Kovarian smirked, "The effects will vary from person to person...either death or debilitating agony. But they will take you all, one by one…" her grin slowly faded as her own eye drive buzzed, River pulling her own off beside her as her hands were locked before her, "What are you doing?" she jerked as it shocked her again, "No, it's _me_...don't be stupid, you _need_ me. Stop it, stop that! Get it off me!"

"Doctor…" Angel began, stepping over to him, needing to end this, but the Doctor stepped back.

"Angel…" Amy began, grabbing her arm and pulling her back, further away from the Doctor to help, "We've been working on something. Just let us show you."

"There's _nothing_ you can do," Angel told her softly, looking over at the Doctor meaningfully, "My _time_ is _up_."

Amy moved in front of her, tears in her eyes at how Angel seemed so insistent to _die_ , "We're doing this for _you_!"

"Look around you Amy," she said quietly, "It's not just happening in this room, people are _dying_ because of _me_. I won't thank you for that," she looked at the Doctor, "Either of you!"

The Doctor looked at her a moment before swallowing hard, knowing she liked the idea of others dying for her even less than he did. But...he hadn't had many doing that lately, not with Angel there to save them...but here...here Angel was still trying to save them all and he...couldn't let her.

"Get it..." Kovarian strained in her chair.

"Just let us show you," Amy begged her, "Please," Angel looked at he Doctor.

' _Please,_ ' he whispered to her, ' _There's a chance it might save you…_ '

She sighed and nodded.

Amy turned to Rory, "Captain Williams, how long do we have?"

"A couple of minutes," he called as the Silence rammed the door.

"That's enough," she nodded and turned to River, moving over to her and unlocking the handcuffs, needing help, "Take them to the Receptor Room right at the top of the pyramid."

River gave Amy a lingering hard look before sighing and heading out of the room, leading the way for the Doctor and Angel to follow, "I hope you're ready for a climb," she remarked.

"I'll wait down here, Ma'am, buy you as much time as I can," Rory called as Amy moved to follow.

"You have to take your eye drive off," she told him, seeing he was still wearing it.

"Can't do that, Ma'am. Might forget what's coming."

"But it could activate any second!"

Rory aimed his gun at the door, "It _has_ activated, Ma'am," Amy looked down to see his other fist clenched and shaking, "But I'm no use to you if I can't remember," he clenched his fist and lifted it to use it to steady his hand, "You have to go NOW, Ma'am."

"Yes," Amy murmured, watching him, watching his dedication to her, his determination to protect her and...felt...warm. She felt a familiar sense of safety and protection bubbling within her, it was the same feeling she got when she dreamed of Rory holding her in his arms, it was exactly the same, "Yes, thank you, Captain Williams," she turned to go, but paused and looked back at him a moment, watching him fight the eye drive for her before continuing on...only able to make it a few steps into the shadows when the door burst open behind her, the wood shattering.

Rory groaned in pain and fell to his knees as the Silence entered and looked at him, "Rory Williams..." they spoke, Amy, who had flinched and turned around, gasped, unheard by them at the name they'd called him, "The man who dies and dies again," the electricity built around them, "Die one last time and know she will _never_ come back for you."

Amy's jaw clenched, like hell she wouldn't!

Suddenly a gun went off.

Rory looked over to see Amy standing there with a machine gun, firing at the Silence till they all fell. She ran over to his side, helping him up, "Come on, you...up you get! You alright?" she pulled the eye drive off and helped him towards the door the Time Lords had run through.

"Amy..." Kovarian called helplessly from where she'd been left, still tied to the seat, her eye drive half off, " _Help_ me."

Amy paused and walked over to her, looking down at the woman with a hard look in her eye, "You took the Doctor's baby from them. You had them RIP her from Angel's arms. And you _hurt_ her. You..." she swallowed, really trying to get over this, "Manipulated _my_ daughter her whole life. Now she's all grown up and she's used me and she's trying to kill my sister-in-law. But you know what...I'll never get to know if she might have been different, if I'd gotten to hold her or really raise her properly. And Angel? She and the Doctor may never get to see their baby again…"

"But you'll still save me though. Because THEY would, and you'd never do _anything_ to disappoint your precious Doctor and dearest Angel."

"Ma'am, we have to go...now!" Rory called, spotting more Silence coming down the hall, NOT taking his eyes off them as he spoke.

"The Doctor _is_ very precious to me, you're right," Amy nodded, "And Angel is _far_ too forgiving. But do you know what, Madam Kovarian? The Doctor's not here and _I'm not_ the Angel," she leaned forward and put the eye drive back on Kovarian's eye, "River Song didn't get it all from you...sweetie."

And with that, Amy turned and looped her arm through Rory's, leading him off as Kovarian screamed behind them, "So, you and me, we should get a drink some time."

"Ok," he nodded.

"And married."

"Fine."

~8~

The Silence were winning, the soldiers falling around them as they made their way to the King's Chamber.

~8~

River walked over to a device set up in the center of the spire on top of the Great Pyramid, the Doctor eyeing it a moment, "So _there's_ the distress beacon," he muttered, looking at it intently, not having gotten a chance to see it since he'd arrived, before glancing at River, "Who built this?"

"When Angel taught me how to fly the TARDIS, also let me understand the physics," River remarked.

The Doctor eyed her, not fully believing that, " _You_ wanted to help _save_ Angel?"

River have him a hard look, "They tricked me, told me it was to get you here," she glanced at the device, " _I_ made it, _they_ wrote the message."

"The message you picked up?" Angel looked at the Doctor.

"They've been sending out a message, a distress call," he told her.

"Outside the bubble of our time, the Universe is still turning," River explained with a roll of her eyes, "And the message has been sent everywhere, to the future and the past, the beginning and the end of everything."

"'Please help, the Angel is in danger.'"

Angel shook her head, not seeing the point of this, this was taking too long, she had to hurry! " _No one_ can help."

"We barricaded the door," Amy ran up with Rory, "We've got a few minutes…just _tell_ them," River was silent and Amy glared at her, "Tell them, River."

River frowned and looked at the device, remaining silent.

The Doctor eyed them a moment before sonicing it, looking at the readings, his eyes widened and his mouth dropped open.

"What is it?" Angel frowned, seeing his reaction.

"Those reports of the sun spots and the solar flares," Amy told her, "They're wrong, there _aren't_ any."

"It's not the sun," the Doctor breathed and looked at her, "It's _you_. The sky is full of a million, million voices. Angel..." he shook his head, "They're all saying 'yes, of course we'll help,'" he blinked, tears in his eyes as he looked at her, "You've touched so many lives, saved so many people."

She smiled at him softly, wanting to touch his face, wipe away his tears, but held back, not able to stand the sight of him flinching away from her again, "But _none_ of them can help me," she whispered, "A fixed point has been altered, time is falling apart, and you KNOW it."

"I can't let you die," he whispered to her.

"But I _have_ to die."

"Then I go with you," he decided.

"Oh shut up!" River cut in, irritated now, "You've got the bracelet, you don't _have_ to die with her. You think the Universe only cares about _Angel_? Doctor, half these replies are to save the Mate of _the Doctor_ , because they love _you_ just as much. But _no one_ loves you more than _me_ ," the Doctor looked at her with a glare at her words, "Don't you _see_?" she nearly begged him, walking around the device to him, " _That's_ why I did this, _a Time Lord_ had to die at the lake, _I saved you_!"

He shook his head, disgusted, "You don't love me nearly enough," River's mouth dropped open, "Angel... _she's_ the one who loves me more than anything. Because you, River, may be willing to _kill_ for me, but Angel...Angel's willing to _die_ for me."

"Doctor," Angel called him back, they had little time to waste and every second was precious, "You and I, we _know_ what this means. We're the cause of an explosion in time...it'll eat everything in reality! Billions on billions will suffer and _die_ because of this and I..." she shook her head, "I can't bear it," she started crying, " _Please_. They're all going to _suffer_."

"No one will suffer more than me if I have to _watch you die_ ," he told her softly, reaching out as though to touch her face, but curled his hand into a fist and pulled away, "But it'll be alright," he nodded as she eyed him a moment, "If you die, I die, that's the whole point of their plan isn't it? They just want me dead..."

"No," she shook her head, "They just want the question unanswered...meaning ME," and with that, she held up the Dampening Bracelet she'd taken from the desk he'd dropped it on when she'd fallen against it, "They won't know you're still alive...if you stick to the shadows."

"Angel…" he shook his head, his hearts breaking for what she was asking him to do, to take the bracelet, to live on after she died for him...how could she ask him that?!

"They'll think you died with me," she explained, "If I go, if I die...it means YOU can live," she held it up for him to take, "Please. For Ayla," she added and he stopped shaking his head, staring at her instead, "You've saved so many people, you've saved ME from so much. From Van Statten, from the Wire, the Macra, the creature on Midnight, the TARDIS, from Demons run…and that's only a few of the times," she gave him a small smile, "But you _can't_ save me from this, you can't save me from time..."

"Angel…" he swallowed hard.

"But you _can_ save my daughter," she whispered and he looked at her sharply, " _Promise me_ you'll find her, find our daughter," tears filled her eyes, her voice breaking with emotion, "This can't be like Berlin, because I CAN'T let you die with me this time. I couldn't fight you last time, I couldn't stop you, but this time..." she swallowed hard, "This time, I can ask you, please, for ME, my last wish...find Ayla. Find her and tell her of our stories," her words choked at that, "Help her grow into the most _remarkable_ person in the Universe," she smiled at him, tears falling from her eyes, "You."

He shook his head, "No…"

"Doctor…" she began, pleading with him, but stopped...when he _took_ the bracelet from her.

"I'll raise her into her mum," he promised, nodding, his jaw tensing, his throat clenching to have to do this. He sniffled, trying to keep the tears from falling, trying to be strong, trying to remain strong, for her. She was right, last time, in Berlin, she'd barely been conscious, she hadn't been able to express her thoughts, her reasoning. Now...she was _asking_ him to live for their daughter.

Her dying wish.

And he never been able to deny her anything.

Angel nodded, smiling sadly at him, a heartbreaking smile, before she turned to go say goodbye to Rory and Amy.

The Doctor watched her walk over to the Ponds to say her goodbyes...before turning to River, who was smirking slightly behind him in victory as soon as Angel's back was turned.

His face hardened as he stormed over to her, grabbing her arm and pulling her to the side more, "I'd wipe that smirk _off_ your face if I were you," he growled quietly at her, trying to keep his voice low so that Angel wouldn't hear him, but he was really at the end of his rope with all this. His Mate was about to die, there was _nothing_ he could do about it to save her, and the woman before him was the one who would kill her.

River mock pouted, clearly not sensing the dangerous aura flaring around the Doctor, "Oh sweetie, don't worry," she smiled, reaching out to tug on his bowtie, "I'll take _good_ care of you," she nearly purred.

The Doctor's hand snapped up and grabbed her wrist, shoving her hand away but holding her wrist tightly, "Don't touch me."

She frowned, uncomfortable, "You're _hurting_ me," she said quietly.

"Oh I don't care," he glared at her, nearly sneering, her comfort was the _last_ thing on his mind, "You listen to me River, you keep _away_ from me, you keep away from _my family_ , do you understand me?"

She swallowed hard, "Is that supposed to be a threat dear?" she asked, trying to smirk again, "You should know, I _love_ dang..."

He squeezed her wrist once more, cutting her off, "You have no idea, just how dangerous I AM," he hissed at her, "The Silence, Kovarian, they were right to come after _me_. Whatever this Question nonsense is about...it is NOTHING compared to what _I_ am capable of," his eyes narrowed at her, feeling himself tensing, feeling the Oncoming Storm within him rising at the threat against his Mate, "Do you know what they call me River? I have quite a few names, the Destroyer of Worlds, the Oncoming Storm, but do you know which one I _treasure_ the most?" she shook her head, tensing as she too saw the rage building in his eyes, "The Mate of the Angel. I am ANGEL's Mate, I will NEVER be yours," his eyes narrowed as he saw her shoot an angry look at Angel, a...condescending one.

"Don't you DARE," he whisper-shouted at her, yanking her arm so she'd look at him, "I've seen it on your face River, more times than I care to remember, you think Angel isn't worthy of me," he nearly spat that out as though it were the most vile lie he'd ever heard, which it was, "But have you ever stopped to think...I'm a Time Lord, YOU are a Human, think for just a moment, which species would I chose to spend the rest of my lives with? No..." he shook his head, "Which _woman_ , an angel or a demon?"

"The darkside is very _tempting_ ," River tried to smile seductively at him, she'd rather be a devil than an angel anyway, hell in heels that was her.

He shook his head at her, at how her psychopathy was showing, twisting his words, his threats into whatever she wanted to hear, a defense mechanism for when they were confronted with something they didn't want to hear. He glanced back at Angel, making sure she was still with Rory and Amy before stepping closer to River, talking quietly to her, though the fury was very evident in his voice at how she was STILL trying despite his words, no more, it was time to get through to her, "I am _warning_ you only _once_ , River, give up whatever game you are playing because if I _ever_ find out that you're involved in something like this again, that you have put Angel in danger, I don't care what adventures I'm meant to have with a future version of you…" he leaned forward, his voice shaking as he spoke, " _I will kill you myself_."

River inhaled sharply at the threat and leaned back, the anger, the _hatred_ , the _promise_ in his eyes, in his words…for a brief instant...she could see why she had been raised to kill such a man. She could see the depths of his soul through his eyes, she could understand now why he was called the Destroyer of Worlds, why so many people were fearful of him when they crossed him.

She swallowed hard, "Rule 1, the Doctor lies."

His hold on her arm tightened, telling her he was _not_ lying about this, that he was being very, VERY serious, "I do lie, about a lot of things, but _never_ to Angel and never _about_ her. So believe me when I tell you this, River," he stared straight into her eyes and she could see the Oncoming Storm in them, "You may think that I am the love of your life, for whatever _twisted_ reason, but you will NEVER be the love of _mine_. That's Angel," he shoved her hand away, "What I feel for _you_ is the _farthest_ thing from love there is."

River blinked, tears forming in her eyes as he turned away from her and walked back to where he'd been standing just as Angel turned around. She watched his expression morph from the devastating hatred, disgust, and loathing that had been directed at _her_ to love and sorrow as he gazed as his Mate. She couldn't help her eyes narrowing into slits as she watched Angel smile sadly at him and walk over to him, she HATED that girl, she hated the Angel more than she had _ever_ hated anyone in her life!

First she had tried to keep her from being born, implied that she shouldn't even exist! Then she weaseled her way into her parents' hearts, made them love her as though she were family, as though she were a 'sister,' when she was NOTHING of the sort! Biologically, SHE was their daughter, even if she was conceived in a laboratory, even if they had no idea about her at all, well...that was fine. That was JUST fine, if they saw Angel as more family than SHE was, fine, she didn't see them as parents either. They were Amy and Rory, they were the source of her DNA, but did they raise her? Hold her as a baby? Search through the galaxies for her? No, they did it for ANGEL. Oh that woman infuriated her!

She was _weak_! She was weak and simpering and...good! She didn't deserve the Doctor! She could barely hold her own in any situation. She'd gotten captured by the Silence for God's sake! All that power, all that foresight and she'd just HAD to let herself get captured! And for what? To make the Doctor so consumed with finding her? More desperate to get to her?! She was an easy target, which she now realized was another reason the Silence had let her go after Angel this time...she was easier to kill. The woman felt such GUILT over what had happened to HER? Please, she was _happy_ with her upbringing. The Silence had taught her how to protect herself, how to be strong, how to be clever and get what she wanted. And the Angel...she just let herself be attacked and killed by her because of _guilt_?

Guilt was a weakness SHE would NEVER let herself feel.

And ALL it did was make the Doctor love her more! Made him see her as more of a perfect match for him when Angel was NOTHING of the sort! She was his opposite in every way whereas SHE was _just like him_. She was dangerous, she was brilliant, she was strong, and she was sly and clever and...everything he should want in a Mate! ...except she wasn't a Time Lord. Another thing Angel had taken from her. Because of THAT woman she'd been denied the chance of being genetically compatible to the Doctor as well, to be nearer to a species that would be able to stay with him and keep up with him. What did she have now?! She was human! They withered and decayed and died! What good was that to her?!

First Angel had taken her conception, her DNA, her family, and now...now she'd even manipulated the Doctor away from her! If it hadn't been for Angel, for her infuriating bond to the Doctor, that irritating Mating, whatever that was, SHE would be with the Doctor. HE would be free for _her_ to be with, he would be free to choose who he really wanted. If she had just MET him _before_ he'd Mated to Angel, she KNEW he'd pick HER instead of the Time Lady. And now, to find out that Angel knew the Doctor's _real name_?! It was like a slap in the face. Oh she HATED her! She hated Angel!

It was like, whenever Angel was there, the Doctor only saw _her_ as this horrible person who kept trying to hurt Angel. Did he not see WHY?! He was trapped in a Mating! He _had_ to die if Angel died! He'd taken the bracelet! Clearly he DIDN'T _want_ to die. He was stuck being bound to Angel, _forced_ to be with her, he had no choice in that! She was trying to _free_ him! She was trying to show him that he didn't have to settle for Angel just because he met her first! But Angel had already dug her claws too far into him, hadn't she? She'd manipulated him, turned him against her before she even had the chance to make an impression! And she kept trying to forgive her! There was NOTHING to forgive and she KEPT trying! All that sickening forgiveness, it made her seem so...compassionate and empathetic in the Doctor's eyes, it made him love her more and it was terrible! Couldn't he see Angel was just manipulating him!?

She had been trying to tell the Silence for AGES that NO ONE should have the power that Angel did. Foresight was dangerous, she agreed with the Teselecta there, and Angel was nothing but that. She tampered with time! She saved people who should have DIED! She had the Vortex within her, all that power...all that power NO ONE was meant to have. NO ONE was pure enough to wield a power like that and not be corrupted. And worse yet...she had the power and DIDN'T use it! She could have destroyed ALL the Silence in one go but chose to hold back. She made the situations more dangerous by not using the power to wipe her enemies out. And it was maddening to know that SHE wouldn't ever get the chance to show the Doctor how much of a danger Angel was. If SHE tried to take in the Vortex, she'd die within moments, being human, but if she'd been part Time Lady...she could have shown him how the Vortex should be used.

The worst part of it all...Angel just _kept_ pulling the Doctor away from her. The Doctor was the most amazing man in the Universe, and he was with a woman who was _barely_ impressive! SHE was far more than Angel would _ever_ be, and he didn't see it...because of Angel. She kept turning the Doctor against her! The Doctor was a kind man, a loving man, an understanding one, he SAVED people. He DIDN'T _threaten them_ the way he had her just then. He wouldn't have threatened HER if not for Angel.

Oh she HATED that woman!

She could see even now, the look in the Doctor's eye as he gazed at Angel, she could see that…no one would _ever_ stand a chance with him as long as _she_ was there, and probably even if she were gone, because nothing would ever compare to his _precious Mate_ , she'd always be there, a haunting memory for him to compare to everyone and...

Her eyes widened, recalling something Amy had said when she'd first revealed herself to be not just Mels but Melody Pond grown up. Amy had said something about the Doctor _not remembering Angel was his Mate_ for a time. In Berlin, she'd said it! She'd even written a note about it in her diary, Amy had said, 'When the Doctor couldn't remember he'd Mated to Angel!'

A small smirk grew on her face as her tears faded. And she decided...she would _not_ kill the Angel...not _physically_ at least. But if there was _ever_ a time when she met the Doctor while he was ignorant of who Angel was to him…she would do anything and everything she could to keep him from the Time Lady. She would do whatever it took to push Angel away, manipulate the Doctor closer, anything to make him consider _her_ and not Angel as a potential Mate, whatever that was.

She would get the Doctor if it was the _last_ thing she did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh River...your psychopathy is showing, but I suppose rejection stings just a little bit doesn't it? :( But I hope the promised Oncoming Storm moment lived up to your expectations ;) I'd be scared out of my mind if the Doctor, of all people, threatened me the way he did here -shivers- Poor Thella though, being unable to touch :( ...and if you thought THIS chapter was hard...wait till the next one }:)
> 
> I know this chapter and the last were very Angel-centric, the next one should be more balanced, with a very BIG moment for the Doctor :( All I can say is, even with it being Angel-centric...everything she's doing is for the Doctor and to protect him :( And next chapter...the death scene...Angel REALLY does die...oh dear God, poor Doctor! :'( And the family! I SO wanted to have them here, but Rory proved that not many really knew what was going on or remembered it. I took it as Kovarian, River, and Amy really knew what was going on, like...the ones involved in the actual 'death' and then Amy :( So no family here...but they WILL come into play for this episode ;)
> 
> But now we know why the Silence were going to let River kill Angel this time :( She might not have been their target at first, but it didn't matter to them if she died or not. They could have killed her in Demons Run, but the Doctor had the bracelet and they couldn't risk Ayla. Now that RIVER had the bracelet, if they kill Angel...they kill the Doctor. They would have stopped her using the bracelet and let him die anyway. They were completely hoping River would kill Angel, and that, the Doctor, in revenge and driven mad by the Mating instinct, would kill River before dying himself, the perfect self cleaning mission, isn't it? }:) It might seem a bit out there for the Doctor to kill someone like that...but he stood there and watched the Racnoss suffer, watched as her children drowned, because they hurt Angel, so it isn't TOO far a leap to believe, seeing his Mate killed before him would make him snap. And now that they know Angel is the one who can answer the question...they now have a reason to target her too, killing her will not only kill the Doctor but the secret being revealed as well :(
> 
> But...we still DON'T know why Angel would go to the Lake, knowing that River wouldn't be able to use the bracelet. Knowing she would likely die...knowing it would kill the Doctor...why do it? And...what about Ayla?
> 
> We'll find out very soon }:)
> 
> Though...I can say, Angel's thoughts on how River knows the Doctor's name when she REFUSES to tell anyone it...will be VERY important. Because I can say...Angel WILL NOT tell River the Doctor's name, and now we know the Doctor can't tell her either...so how does she know? I really have NO idea when we'll find out, but I can say I DO have a twist about it ;)


	44. The Rejection of River Song: What Will Happen?

The Doctor's gaze softened as he watched Angel step before him, swallowing hard as he pulled the sonic out and flashed the Dampening Bracelet, disabling the bio-coding. He knew it would only activate once he'd put it on and then the sonic would be no help at all, so it had to be now. He tried to smile at Angel, tried to give her one more smile...but he couldn't manage it.

How did one manage a smile when their hearts were breaking?

"Are you ready?" he asked Angel in a breath, slipping the bracelet on, trying to hide his grimace as every sensation of her was cut off.

He felt...numb, he felt cold, he felt...empty.

The Mating...it was so...filling, it made you so...aware of another presence that he really...he really didn't know how he'd be able to live like this, without feeling her or hearing her, the Mating letting him know she was there. He really had no idea how he'd managed it before when he'd forgotten her. But even then he knew, it was like a little faint buzz or tingle, the faintest brush of wind that was Angel, he'd felt her even then...but now? Now he felt...nothing at all...nothing of HER at least. Oh he still felt things. He felt his love for her. He felt his devastation. He felt his sorrow to have to do this. He felt everything FOR her, but he couldn't feel HER.

Angel nodded, taking a breath, "I've had 200 years to prepare for this," she added.

He nodded though he barely felt like he'd had 200 seconds to prepare, but now he knew...this was what she'd been keeping from him all that time. But in the little time he had left with her, he just couldn't find it in himself to be angry, not with what was about to happen. His mother had always told him never to go to bed or leave anyone being angry. And right now...this was the last moment he would have with his Mate...he wanted to cherish it. He stood there a long moment, just looking at her despite knowing every moment was another where the Silence might break through Amy and Rory's barricade and spot them, spot what they were doing, the bracelet. He knew time was of the essence, literally, but he just...he wanted another moment, and another, always just one more moment with her.

"I love you," he said softly, holding out his shaking hand to her, tears in his eyes.

"I love you too," she replied, reaching out and taking his hand, "Always," she added.

He pulled her to him the moment her hand touched his and kissed her as deeply as he could, not wanting a simple hand-hold to be their last memory together. It was a kiss goodbye, a kiss in promise of finding their daughter, and a kiss for just one last time…

And slowly time resumed…

~0~

The Doctor blinked and found himself in the museum, having just strapped the Vortex Manipulator to his wrist. He closed his eyes tightly, ignoring the alarms blaring and the shouts of the guards rushing at him, before entering a different code and slapping it.

And this time...this time he appeared _inside_ the TARDIS instead of feet away from it, running to the monitor…

~0~

Angel closed her eyes with a small smile as the younger River fired at her twice, shooting out both her hearts...

~0~

Amy and Rory ran forward but the older River held them back.

~0~

Amy and Rory cried over her body.

~0~

Rory sent the burning boat adrift with her in it.

~0~

And all around the Earth, the steam engines, hot air balloons, and pterodactyls disappeared as time fixed itself.

~8~

The 10th Doctor clone, or John Smith as he liked to call himself, a human name for a human man, ran around the TARDIS he and Rose Tyler had grown, with a small gift he'd found in his coat pocket, a chunk of TARDIS coral from Angel with a small bit of instructions on how to grow one at an accelerated pace. He was laughing as they escaped yet another danger, and pulled a lever.

The TARDIS was off!

The new box was whizzing through space and time when suddenly…there was a sharp pang in his heart. He frowned, his grip on the knob he'd been about to turn loosening as the feeling grew. TARDIS gave a sad hum, the lights dimming. He looked up, a bit startled as he recognized the feeling, as though a part of him had _died_.

A hand touched his and he looked over to see Rose looking up at him with tears in her eyes, a similar pain reflected in them, before he pulled her to him, hugging her tightly...

~8~

Martha Jones smiled as she watched Mickey try and teach their toddler how to ride a tricycle, laughing as the large man pushed the small child and his equally small bike. Her grin faded though when her thoughts suddenly drifted to Angel. She let out a breath and put a hand to her check, surprised to see she was crying.

A moment later Mickey put a hand on her shoulder, the same sadness and loss in his eyes...

~8~

Donna Noble laid on the sofa with Shawn, just watching Monty Python with her husband, enjoying their time together, a nice quaint night after a brilliant dinner. She burst out laughing at the scene before her…only for her laughs to turn into tears and then sobs as Shawn held her tightly, rocking her back and forth as she cried...

~8~

Jenny shot up in bed from where she was sleeping beside her husband, Cline, with a gasp, waking him as well from the jolt. Cline frowned, seeing her staring at the wall with wide eyes that were quickly filling with tears and reached out to put a hand on her shoulder. Jenny turned and clung to him, allowing herself a brief moment of weakness and vulnerability her husband rarely ever saw as she cried into his shoulder, murmuring, "Mum…" heartbrokenly over and over...

~8~

Sarah Jane Smith hummed lightly to herself as she went to get the mail from her mailbox. She flipped through the envelopes in her hand as she walked back towards her house on Bannerman Road, only to slow down in the middle of her drive. The envelopes fell from her hand as the door to her house opened and her son, Luke, ran out with his friends Clyde and Rani. They ran straight for her as tears filled her eyes and pulled her into a tight hug as her heart broke.

~8~

Jack Harkness patted Ianto's back as he and the team walked back towards the Hub after a successful mission...only to stop dead. The team walked a few more steps before pausing, as though feeling the same thing he was, and looking back at him. He was staring at the ground before he spun around and looked up at the stars, a heartbroken expression on his face.

"Oh Angie…" he breathed.

~8~

" _Tick tock goes the clock,_  
_She gave all she could give them._  
_Tick tock goes the clock,_  
_Now River's going to prison._ "

The song resonated throughout the Universe, through burning stars and supernovas, through black holes and swirling galaxies. People all across the space, through time itself, just…stopped and mourned, for what many did not know.

But none, none felt it more profoundly, that loss, that agonizing knowledge of something terrible happening, than a small group of humans on Earth and one 'Time Lady' on Messaline. For with that feeling…came the knowledge, the terrible, terrible truth…

The Angel was dead.

The Angel had truly fallen.

~8~

Amy sat at a table behind her house, looking out at the stars, with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, a bottle of wine and two glasses before her. There was a flash of light and a crackle of electricity but Amy didn't even blink, all too familiar with the sound of a Vortex Manipulator by now, "Heard there was a freak meteor shower two miles away," she began, "So I got us a bottle."

"Thank you, dear," River Song walked over and picked up the bottle, pouring a glass.

Amy glanced at her, seeing her dressed in the familiar camouflage, but was too worn out with what had just happened, in her memory, to truly put an effort into remembering exactly what adventure that was, so she just went with asking River herself, "So where are we?"

River had been...making an effort to see her and Rory lately, in the few months they'd been on Earth, after the Doctor and Angel had dropped them off after the hotel...River had been, well, popping up. It was the older Rivers, nowhere near as young as the one that they'd just encountered in the pyramid. She winced, she had even more memories in her head now. She'd told Rory about it, the man had vague recollections of it. Something about wearing black and...being sad, SO sad...and she'd told him it was because of Angel. They'd felt it, they both had, the moment she'd died. Rory had been devastated, had refused to be in the same room as River at first, he'd been so...angry with her.

He was justified of course, the woman had chosen to kill his sister! It would have been one thing if she'd been literally brainwashed to do it, like she was meant to kill the Doctor, but...she'd decided, of her own free will, to kill Angel. And he couldn't forgive that. He just...he tried, he tried SO hard to look at River and see...Melody Pond, his daughter, but...he couldn't. He just _couldn't_. He hadn't conceived her, it was like...finding out you were a sperm donor or something. And even when Mels had been around, growing up with them, she'd never liked him, and he had really only put up with her for Amy's sake. Mels was AMY'S best friend, not his. All he saw when he looked at River was just...River Song. All he saw was the woman who had used his wife, manipulated one of his friends, been so cruel to, and _killed_ , his sister.

The only thing that had gotten him to bear being in the same room as the woman after her first few attempts at speaking to them, had been when River brought up that Angel would have wanted him to forgive her. He'd snapped at her then, he knew, from the tone of her voice, that it was her attempt to manipulate HIM as well, and he'd reminded her that HE wasn't Angel. And stormed off. Unfortunately, the more he thought about it, the more he knew that Angel _would_ have wanted him to forgive River. Angel had gone to the Lake, knowing what was coming, she'd chosen to go there and not fight River, for whatever reason. And he knew, it would be Angel's last wish for them to see River as their daughter, like she did Jenny. He wouldn't ever forgive her, he barely tolerated her as it was, but...he could at least be in the house when River came round.

Amy was always cautious though, when River was there, she...she hated to say it, but she didn't know why River was coming to see them, whether it was to try and atone for the devastation of what she'd just done, in Amy's perspective, or just because they were biologically her parents she didn't know. But, somehow, River was _still_ her daughter…and, after long talks with Jenny before Demons Run and seeing how torn up the Doctor and Angel had been losing Ayla, she felt like...she couldn't ignore this opportunity to spend...time with the woman who was genetically her daughter. The older Rivers...the older ones she could deal with, those she felt like...maybe they'd matured, grown up a bit more, grown out of their obsession with the Doctor just a bit...whatever reason, she could look at the older Rivers and not see the younger one trying to kill Angel. They looked different, even if it was minutely, so she made an effort, in honor of Angel.

"I just climbed out of the _Byzantium_ ," River smirked.

Amy winced, not only because she knew this wasn't the oldest River she'd met, but also in recalling the questions she herself had asked River during that adventure, insisting she was the Doctor's wife. Now, knowing who Angel was and her condition at the time…she couldn't begin to say how much she regretted that. Regretted pushing the Doctor more towards River and away from Angel. She could only imagine how badly her questions and teasing had hurt Angel.

"You were there. So young," she sat down, "Didn't have a clue who I was...you're funny like that. Where are you?"

"Angel's dead," Amy whispered, sipping her wine.

River was silent a moment.

Amy couldn't read her expression. This River was far more adept at hiding her thoughts than her younger self, all her older selves seemed to be the same, more careful around her and Rory. Amy wasn't sure if that should worry her more or less that the Doctor and Angel would have a harder time trying to see if River was planning something, but then remembered...Angel wasn't there anymore and the Doctor had gone into hiding, alone, suffering with the death of his Mate, a death brought on by her daughter.

She drained her glass.

"How are you doing?" River asked after a minute.

"How do you think?" Amy nearly snapped, unable to really look at her daughter with the topic being Angel, if she looked at her now, all her work in trying to see this as a different River would be for nothing.

"Well, I don't know unless you _tell_ me," she retorted sassily.

"I killed someone," Amy said instead, closing her eyes, seeing _exactly_ how much she was like her daughter, how much her daughter was like her. It made her sick to realize how truthful she'd been when facing Kovarian, that River really HADN'T gotten it all from their training, there WAS a bit of her and Rory in her. She felt bile rising in her at the thought that both she and her daughter had murdered someone. She'd woken up screaming from nightmares of it on more than one occasion, but Rory had been there, had held her, had reassured her, or tried to, by saying...SHE had killed an enemy, River had killed a friend. It didn't make her feel better to know she'd killed anyone at all, "Madame Kovarian, in cold blood."

"In an aborted time-line," River sighed, "In a world that never was..."

"Yeah, well, I can remember it, so it happened, so I did it. What does that make me now?" she sighed, she couldn't just brush it off as easily as River was able to, "I need to talk to the Doctor," she needed to know that he didn't see her as as bad a murderer as River was, she...didn't want him to hate her for doing what River had done, "But I can't now, can I? He's gone off, hiding out there, keeping low so the Silence don't find him again," she knew that the only people in the Universe who knew that the Doctor was alive were her, Rory, and River and...knowing what the Silence had planned for her and knowing the danger that truth would mean for the Doctor...River had seemed to keep quiet about it, why else would she still be in Stormcage for Angel's murder if not to keep the illusion going that the Doctor had also died as a result? She swallowed hard, "…and Angel, she's…"

River put down her glass and paused in thought, "If you could talk to him, would it make a difference?"

"He wouldn't talk to me," she replied, tears in her eyes, "Angel's _dead_ , he won't talk to _anyone._ "

"Oh, mother..." River sighed, not wanting to say this but...she'd noticed, lately, she'd started to feel a bit, a _tiny_ bit mind you, of...guilt, when it came to her parents at least, or her mother. Amy was, at least, making an effort to try and talk to her, even if she couldn't really bring herself to look at her much. All her time alone in Stormcage was starting to...get to her. She was left alone, forgotten about, unless Angel (of course, it just HAD to be HER) got the Doctor to take her on a trip, or if she was needed for a mission...otherwise, she was just...alone. Amy...talked to her, "Of course she isn't," she put her hand on Amy's leg.

"Not for you, I suppose, you're seeing the younger versions of them both, running around, having adventures..."

"Yeah, I am...but…" she sighed, "That's not what I mean."

"Then what _do_ you mean?" Amy finally looked at her.

"Ok. I'm going to tell you what I probably shouldn't. Something that Angel mentioned once. Didn't have a clue what it was till just now, of course it would all make sense now," she added a bit bitterly at the fact that Angel could be cryptic enough where it would take HER this long to figure it out.

"What?"

"What's Rule 2?"

Amy blinked, confused as to what that had to do with anything, "Angel doesn't lie."

River nodded, "She doesn't, not really, but _I_ do, all the time, I have to, spoilers. Pretending I don't know you're my mother. Pretending I didn't recognize the spacesuit in Florida…"

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"Angel is _psychic_ ," River told her, "She's almost as bad as the Doctor being one step ahead of everyone…"

"River, what is it!?"

"She's 'had 200 years to prepare for this,' didn't she?"

Amy's eyes started to widen when suddenly…a familiar wheezing noise filled the yard and she leapt to her feet.

"Hey?" Rory called as he ran out of the house, hearing the wheezing as well. He started to spin around, looking for it, much like Amy was, "Where is it?!"

~8~

A hooded figure carried Dorium's box solemnly back to its pedestal, "Who's carrying me?" he shouted from within, "I demand to know...I'm a head, I have _rights_! I want my doors open this time," the figure placed the box gently on its spot, "I demand that my doors are open," and slid the box open before walking away, "Is it you?! It is, isn't it?" the figure stopped and slowly turned, "It IS you, I can sense it. But how did you do it? How could you _possibly_ have escaped?!"

~0~

The Doctor stood before the monitor, tears blurring his vision as he watched Angel close her eyes and River...fire. He flinched with each shot, his hearts shattering as he watched his Mate fall to the ground. He felt like he couldn't breathe when she started to regenerate, that orange-gold flare rising up around her...and he fell to his knees when River made the last two shots, blasting out both her hearts mid-regeneration just as the energy reached its peak. The pain in his hearts nearly broke him apart. The Dampening Bracelet may block the Mating bonds, but it _didn't_ suppress his feelings for her _at all_.

Seeing her die…for him…

He fell back against the console, his head in his knees, just sobbing as his world shattered around him…

Angel was dead.

His Mate was gone.

His Nella...

Oh God.

He could hear River and Amy and Rory shouting n the monitor but paid no mind to it, he couldn't really make out what they were saying. He couldn't listen. His pain was making him closed off, it was _all_ he could feel. He was shaking, trembling, feeling pain shooting through him from his hearts. The Dampening Bracelet just meant he didn't physically feel her pain, it did NOTHING for his own pain. It made sure he didn't die with her...it did absolutely nothing in making him feel like he didn't want to die too, because he did, he just...he loved her, _so much_ , and now she was _gone_.

All he could think about was all the times he'd spent with Angel, all the adventures, all the missing time when he'd forgotten. The regret of those particular memories near drowned him…especially remembering she'd been pregnant. All those times he'd missed, getting her food when she was craving it, feeling their child moving within her, discovering the fact together, being there for her when she felt rubbish...all those times, all those little times, he could have spent with her...wasted. All the time he'd planned to use making it up to her...gone.

He didn't know how long he sat there, letting the pain wash over him, the TARDIS humming behind him as he wept. When he finally managed to pull himself back up on shaky feet, reminding himself fiercely that he'd _promised_ his _Mate_ to protect their daughter, he could see that it was dark beyond the TARDIS. The lakeside was empty, he knew Amy and Rory wouldn't be able to handle entering the TARDIS after that and had likely walked back to the diner. Nothing was there...save for a boat burning on the lake and he nearly collapsed again at the golden flames rising and dying down from the wood.

He closed his eyes tightly against the sight, flicking the monitor off, he didn't want to see that, he hadn't ever wanted his last memory of his Mate to be her funeral pyre, less than he wanted his last memory of her to be her being shot. He let out a breath, reaching out to a lever, trying to keep the bile down and focus on finding Ayla...

When there was a soft whoosh behind him.

He spun around to see a hazy golden swirl, a very _familiar_ golden swirl, forming. His eyes widened, scarcely able to hope…

And then the swirl solidified...and _Angel_ stepped out of it.

The glow didn't subside however, simply turned more orange than it was with regeneration energy. He watched, eyes wide, as Angel morphed before him, her hair growing wavier, just an inch or two longer, lightening considerably till it was more a strawberry blonde color. She shrank just an inch, growing just a bit curvier than she had been, growing a bit older than she had been as well but still as lovely as ever, a timeless sort of beauty to her, and really age didn't matter to him at all. And...with a soft gasp...she fell forward out of the regeneration, her deep blue eyes with golden specks sparkling as she looked at him. A smile bloomed on her face and he truly thought he'd lost his mind and really gone barking mad...when she spoke.

"Theta…" she breathed, her voice now with more of a soprano tone to it.

"What?" he shook his head, his mind far too addled and worn to make sense of this.

"I'm _so_ sorry!" she cried, lunging at him and hugging him tightly.

It took him a moment longer to realize that she was in his arms and he ripped the bracelet off him, nearly falling to the ground at the relief of not death but... _love_...that he felt. It was her! It was REALLY her! It was Angel!

"What?!" he shook his head, completely flabbergasted…

"I had to, Theta, I'm so sorry, but I HAD to do it!" she whispered in his ear as she clung to him.

He pulled away only slightly, his hand touching her face, feeling shivers go through him at how he could TOUCH her again, "What...Nella what are you talking about?"

"I had to make you think I was dying permanently," she told him, looking into his eyes so he could see what she meant, "Look..." she leaned her head to his and closed her eyes, opening her mind completely to him in a way she hadn't in nearly 200...

And the first thing he saw...was trust. She _trusted him_ again, completely, what he'd done at the lake, how he'd appeared out of nowhere and tried to save her...it had restored her faith in him completely. Because she hadn't expected it, and for him to do that when she had no hope of it...she knew he'd save her again, she knew she trusted him again. That he'd always be there for her even when she didn't realize she needed him to be.

But beyond that...he saw it, _everything_.

Oh he'd always known his Mate was brilliant!

This entire thing, everything, right down to the smallest detail...had been planned! She'd always said that, if given enough time she could usually work things out, but she just...never had enough of it. But here, she had 200 YEARS to work it out! She had gone to the lake, on her own, so the Silence would KNOW _he_ wasn't here, so they'd know that River _wouldn't_ be able to get the bracelet on him, because he'd die somewhere else when she did.

But...she had NO intentions of truly dying forever at the lake.

She HAD died, yes, but she'd mixed the Vortex energy with the regeneration energy, much like she had facing the Daleks in the Crucible, she'd used it to control the regeneration energy. She'd started to regenerate, yes, she'd DIED, and then she'd used the Vortex to protect her from River's next blasts! She'd pulled all the energy inside her, made it seem like she'd died, the energy of the Vortex creating a sort of interference with River's scanners, and when she'd been put on the boat...she'd let the Vortex out, protecting her from the flames while also blending in with them so the Silence watching wouldn't realize. When the flames became too bright to look at...no one would be able to tell if she disappeared...and came here so she could regenerate safely and without anyone knowing!

Even more brilliant...the Silence would think her dead, they'd think HIM dead and...he'd mucked it up by getting in the way...

THAT was why she'd been so insistent that he touch her in the pyramid, it was why she _hadn't_ told him her plan then...he HAD to fight her, he had to fight against her decision, because if he suddenly agreed to let River kill his Mate NO ONE would believe that. She hadn't been able to tell him, or Amy or Rory, because she needed their reactions to be believable. The sorrow that Amy and Rory would feel, THAT was why she had pushed him to take the bracelet before time resumed and not before while at the lake. She needed the Ponds to think she herself believed she was _truly_ going to die and not come back, for their reactions to be genuine, it could be assumed that they were mourning both of them, whereas they knew HE was alive. River's undoubted irritation could be seen as her anger that he had died as well.

Every person who had been at the lake had been needed to get them to Washington, every action at the lake had been a clever ploy to get the Silence to believe that they had BOTH died, when really...neither of them had! She'd had to be the one who died so they'd know HE was dead as well and she knew that SHE could protect herself from the blasts.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "I couldn't tell you. I saw this happen 200 years ago Theta, I had a _long_ _time_ to come up with a way to survive."

"I know," he nodded against her head, "Any slight deviation from how I'd normally act about that would tip them off," he took a breath, opening his eyes to stare into her blue ones, they reminded him very much of the oceans, "You're alive..."

She gave him a smile, "I would die for you Theta," she reached out and put a hand to his face, stroking his check, he quickly held her hand to his cheek, feeling her skin, needing more reassurance she was really there, "But I will NEVER leave you."

He let out a breath, just looking at her before grinning and pulling her to him into a deep kiss, he could feel his hearts lightening, she was here, she was really there! Alive and well! Alive…he pulled away suddenly and pointed a warning finger at her, "Don't you ever hide something like this from me again," he kissed her once more, "Don't you ever lie either…" a kiss, "Or I'll be very," another kiss, "Very," one more kiss, "Cross with you."

She laughed and was pulled into another very long kiss. She really _had_ hated not tell him, but she needed it to be real, to seem real. If he hadn't reacted just as he had the Silence would be suspicious. She pulled away from him, "I promise," she smiled, crossing her hearts with one hand, stroking his check again with her other, before reaching out to pat her hand on his chest, "Now my love, I believe you have a promise to keep?"

He grinned widely, pulling her up, "Let's go find our daughter!"

~8~

The new and improved Angel dropped the hooded cloak to the floor, stunning Dorium, "The power of the Vortex," he seemed like he wanted to shake his head, "You used the power of time to _fix_ time…"

She nodded, walking back to him, "A still point made _into_ a fixed point, which means it was never truly meant to _be_ a fixed point in the first place. When the Doctor saved me, he weakened the point in question. As long as I _died_ …no one need ever know I just regenerated after."

Dorium chuckled, "They always underestimate you don't they?" he eyed her a moment, "So you're going to do this, let them all think you're dead?"

She looked sad, "I severed all the ties I had ever made to anyone, save the Doctor."

It had hurt her to do, being telepathic creatures by nature, Time Lords, much like a TARDIS could form a psychic bond to its Pilots, could create...ties...very VERY minor ones, to their companions, small things, more like a...sixth sense when it came to them. It was very weak, the humans actually felt it more powerfully than THEY did, it was why she knew Sarah Jane and Jo really WOULD feel the Doctor's death if he were to pass on like that. It was proven in how all those people she'd saved had come to Demons Run for her. It was slightly stronger with companions though, and...they had the ability to sever them. Which she'd had to do, she knew the Silence would be watching to see the impact of her death on the others as well.

"I needed them all to believe I was dead, truly."

"But…all those companions of yours, your friends…"

"Oh a few of them will find out the truth," another voice said as the Doctor entered, holding the hand of _a little girl_ , "Someone wants to meet her aunts and uncles."

Dorium's eyes widened, seeing the little girl before him, "My God…"

~0~

Angel shook her head as the Doctor ran to the controls, "I think you mean, let's go _get_ our daughter."

He froze and turned to her, stunned, "Get?" he looked at her a moment, "Did you…"

She shook her head, "No, I didn't know where she was till just before, when River said something at the lake..."

"River knew?!" his eyes widened and his grip on the lever beside him tightened, he'd KILL her!

Angel ran forward and put her hand on his, calming him, "No, no she didn't, she doesn't know where Ayla is. But…before she fired…" he flinched, "She said that, even if she wanted to, she _couldn't_ stop the suit, it was too strong."

He looked at her, confused, "What's that got to do with anything?"

"If she couldn't fight it as an adult, how could she as a _child_?"

His eyes widened at the logic. They had both assumed that River had been the child in the astronaut suit in Florida, she had said the suit was made for a human in her scans. They thought that girl was just a means of the Silence to lure Amy and Rory there to get the DNA they needed to create her, a paradox of sorts. They knew the Silence had access to time travel...but, the child who had escaped, had to be stronger than the suit was! If _she_ hadn't been the child…then the _only_ other child the Silence had...was their daughter.

"That was…" he breathed, shaking at the revelation, at how close they might have been to their daughter and not realized it!

Angel nodded, tears in her eyes, "It might be…" she took a breath.

He slowly nodded, "River said the suit was meant for a human, but that there were about 20 different kinds of alien tech in there...yes of course!" he snapped his fingers, "Time Lord technology wasn't available so they had to substitute it! That little Dalek lied to us!"

Not technically lied really, a human _could_ have been used for the suit, but the fact that her words had made them both believe it was meant ONLY for a human had thrown them...and it irritated him that he hadn't thought about the other alien tech that had been used till just now.

"Which means…" Angel continued, "She was lost in 1969 America…"

"And she might still be there!" he ran back to the console, getting to the controls just as Angel did, "Let's go GET our daughter!"

He flipped a switch and the TARDIS hurtled off into space...

~8~

Dorium looked at the Doctor as he looked softly down at his child, who beamed up at him, looking away only when Angel walked over to her, "How did you _find_ her?" Dorium breathed, there had been numerous rumors on the wireless about the two Time Lords, spending 200 years looking for their daughter…

The Doctor grinned, "The TARDIS took us right where we _needed_ to go…"

~0~

The TARDIS silently touched down, literally appearing in the streets behind an alley in New York, circa early 1970s. With the parameters of searching narrowed down from the entire Universe throughout time to simply Earth around 1969, the TARDIS was better able to get a lock on the signature of her niece. The yellow taxi cab it was now disguised as skid to a halt at the sight of the blazing orange energy shooting out of the little girl before them. The Doctor and Angel ran out of the cab, standing there, their hearts _breaking_ at the sight of their daughter, barely 6 years old they could sense, already _regenerating_ from an illness.

The Doctor couldn't help but think on how much that little girl must _hate_ them while Angel couldn't help the tears in her eyes as she saw her little girl die before them. A moment later, the light died away and the girl gasped.

Her hair now a cross between golden blonde with just a hint of strawberry tinge, her eye a blazing dark green with a tiny little freckle by her nose. She looked down at her hands for a moment, turning them over before her, before moving to a little puddle beside her, examining her new appearance. She seemed about the same age, 6 years old, her hair thicker, longer, wavier, her face clean, her clothes hanging on her just a bit, still dirty and worn, now more so from the regeneration.

She straightened up a second later and tensed, turning to look at the duo standing before her, both just staring at her in awe, unable to speak.

But they didn't need to because…

She ran straight for them, half-throwing herself into their arms, "Mummy!" she cried, clutching at Angel as the Time Lady dropped to her knees to hug her daughter, the Doctor falling with her as the child hugged him as well, "Daddy!"

They hugged their little girl in their arms as tightly as they could, tears in their eyes, their hearts beating in their chests at the sensation of having her with them again, "We're sorry," Angel whispered, hugging her, tears falling from her eyes as she pressed a kiss to the top of Ayla's head.

" _So_ sorry," the Doctor agreed, the tears in his eyes also evident in his voice as he rested his head on top of his daughter's.

And then Ayla did something they didn't expect.

She giggled.

She pulled away to look at her parents, just _beaming_ at them, "It's ok," she said, "I know you were looking for me," she told them, "And…" she frowned just a moment, as though concentrating on something, "I know you couldn't be sure you'd be able to keep me safe without remembering those aliens…" she blinked, "But you can now, you figured it out, and you're here!" she hugged them again.

Angel and the Doctor exchanged a look over her shoulders, both stunned by her words, ' _She sounded so much like you just then,_ ' the Doctor remarked to Angel silently, reminded very strongly of how she sensed things, Ayla even had the same adorable look of concentration.

' _I…I think she may have inherited some psychic abilities…_ ' Angel admitted.

The Doctor blinked, _neither_ of them had considered that her abilities might truly be hereditary till now, "Sweetheart?" the Doctor said softly, pulling away as he just looked at her, "How did you escape?" he _needed_ to know, he just needed to hear from her what she had gone through.

"They kept me in the white suit," Ayla told them, thinking, "But I didn't like it, I wanted to get out…I wanted it _really badly_ and then…there was this light…"

"A light?" Angel's eyes widened, speculating what that might mean.

Ayla nodded, "A yellow light, it cut through the suit and I got out. I just…kept running so they wouldn't catch me."

' _Just like you,_ ' the Doctor remarked to Angel, it seemed their daughter had control of the Vortex to a degree as well.

' _And you,_ ' Angel added, ' _Remember, very strong and running away._ '

' _That's 'cos I knew you'd find me,_ ' another voice intruded on their conversation.

This however, didn't shock the parents as much as the other things their daughter seemed able to do. Children on Gallifrey were _very_ connected to their parents, especially when they were young, psychic links with them were very common. Being a part of them, being a part of their Mating, it meant she was a part of their bond as well. It was like a loophole in the mental connection. It was...weak...it would, equally, take time to strengthen if maintained, often children would grow out of a bond like that with their parents, but it let them hear her if they were close enough and she needed them.

Angel just looked at Ayla and ran a hand through her hair a moment, admiring the life she had created with the Doctor before glancing at him.

"That's why it didn't work," Ayla continued.

"Why what didn't work?" the Doctor asked, reaching out to take his daughter's hand, just wanting to maintain the contact, to know she was real, she was there and alive and with them. My, this last adventure was getting to him wasn't it, full of all sorts of terrible and beautiful surprises.

"The pirate lady…she," Ayla frowned, "She wanted me to _hate_ you!" tears filled her eyes at just the _thought_ and the Doctor squeezed her hand, "But I _couldn't_ ," she told them quickly as though to assure them, "I just couldn't, 'cos I remembered you…I remembered. See," she reached into her dress and pulled a string from around her neck where...a small pink bowtie was dangling from the makeshift necklace, "I remembered that my daddy gave me my first very cool bowtie…and my mummy promised everything would be alright…"

The Doctor sniffled, quickly wiping below his eyes at the sight of the little bowtie he'd not seen in nearly 200 years dangling before him. She'd kept it, she'd kept his gift to her, she _remembered_ him…she still loved him, the both of them, after everything. It made sense in a way, Time Lord children were self-aware from in the womb, able to hear and understand their parents.

Angel snapped out of her shock first, standing up and taking Ayla's hand, wanting to get her out of there quickly, they didn't know if the Silence might be nearby and she would NOT risk her child again, "Well…what's say we get you all cleaned up…I know your auntie is _very_ excited to see you."

"The TARDIS!" Ayla gasped, excited as well.

"The TARDIS," the Doctor nodded, standing too, still holding her other hand as he turned, "Our very own adventure machine. What's say we have one eh?"

"Where are we going?" Ayla asked as she walked between her parents, holding both their hands, eagerness in her voice as she looked up at her father.

"Well, we've got three stops to make already," he told her.

"Where?!"

"Well, first," the Doctor thought, "We have to go to 1960s England where your mother will break the Chameleon Circuit," he looked at the yellow taxi cab TARDIS before them. When he'd teleported into the TARDIS by the lake he realized Angel had managed to fix the circuit and that it resembled a red car though now it seemed more like a yellow taxi, "No daughter of mine is travelling around in a TARDIS shaped like anything but a blue police telephone box."

Angel laughed, "And then," she looked at her daughter, "We're going to go back about a year to visit your Great Uncle, the Brigadier, he's been expecting your father for a very long time now."

"And then to your godparents and aunts and uncles," the Doctor added, "I think they'll all be excited to meet you, especially the Legs and the Nose, the Last centurion and the Girl Who Waited…or Auntie Red and Uncle Beaky."

Ayla giggled, shaking her head at her father, "Daddy!" she squealed in delight, before getting in the taxi-TARDIS.

The Doctor froze at the word and looked at Angel, who smiled softly at him, "She called me daddy," he breathed, his hearts racing at the simple word. She had called him it at least twice so far…but always in context _with_ mummy, but now…to hear it just on its own…

Angel reached over and took his hand, "Get used to it, love," she smiled as he looked at her, "I have a _feeling_ she'll be calling you that quite often."

He grinned and lifted her hand to kiss her palm, "You as well, _mummy_."

Angel beamed at him and they ran back to the taxi-TARDIS after their daughter. Come what may, they would protect her. Now that they knew about the eye drives, they would be able to remember the Silence, they would be able to protect her from them…

~8~

Dorium let out a breath at their tale as he looked at the child now standing on her tippy toes to peer into the box at him, ever so curious.

' _Just like you,_ ' Angel jokingly sighed to the Doctor, who beamed proudly.

"And Dr. Song?" Dorium looked at them, "In prison all her days?"

"As she deserves," the Doctor said bitterly, his happiness quickly dissolving into anger at the thought of the woman. Yes, Angel was still technically alive, but River HAD technically KILLED her. She'd killed the last incarnation of Angel.

Angel reached out and took his hand, "It wasn't her fault," she insisted softly, glancing at Ayla as she knelt to peer at one of the skulls...poking it with a small stick, "Remember…that could have easily been Ayla's fate…"

The Doctor sighed and nodded, Angel nodding as well, a pit of guilt in her stomach as she thought on the woman. So much had been done to River, so much had happened to her…she couldn't help but feel like most of it was her fault. If not for her and Ayla, River would have been born to Amy and Rory, grown up normally, a loved daughter…and just thinking that Ayla could have suffered that, been raised a psychopath, been set to target her and the Doctor, to kill them...she was sure it would give her nightmares.

"So many secrets," Dorium sighed, "I'll help you keep them, of course..."

"Well, you're not exactly going anywhere, are you?" the Doctor joked.

"But you're a fool nonetheless. It's all still waiting for you..."

The Doctor looked at Angel questioningly, "The fields of Trenzalore," she explained what she knew he'd been dying to be told already, "According to Dorium, upon the fall of the Eleventh, the Question will be asked and answered."

"By who?" the Doctor frowned.

"I don't know who will ask it," Angel sighed, "But everyone seems to think I'll answer it."

The Doctor shook his head, he really didn't want to worry about this right now…he had places to be, people to see…

"Come along sweetheart!" he called to Ayla who dashed over to them with a giggle, deftly avoiding a trap on the floor on the way. He knelt down and scooped her up, just taking a moment to enjoy the feel of holding this child again. She was so much bigger than the baby he'd held, but she was HIS, his daughter. Most would think he and Angel were put off from missing so much of their child's life, and they were. They'd missed so many firsts, first words, first steps, first solid foods, first time sleeping through the night...everything. But she was still a child, and she was still THEIR child, and after all that, they just were SO thankful to have her back, safe and sound.

"Goodbye, Dorium," Angel called as they turned and walked away, down the tunnel, the Doctor taking her hand as he carried Ayla in his other arm.

"What about the First Question!" Dorium shouted after them, "The question that must _never_ be answered, hidden in plain sight. The question you've been running from all your life Doctor. Doctor who? Doctor who? Doc...tor...WHO?!"

The Doctor simply shut the TARDIS doors behind them, cutting off Dorium's shouts.

~0~

"Come on!" the Doctor called through the door as he stood outside the wardrobe, waiting for Angel, "We're going to be late!" she'd gone in there to get her and Ayla presentable, washed up and in fitting clothes before they went to see their companions again.

"Sorry!" Angel shouted back, "It's just…" she paused.

"What?"

"It's taking a bit longer this time," she laughed, "I think this me is picky!"

He chuckled at that, and then...the door opened and Angel stepped out. His mouth did in fact drop open at the sight of her. She was wearing a shirt that looked like a cross between a poncho and a t-shirt, like a smaller, thinner poncho with sleeves, it was white with thick TARDIS blue stripes across it. She had black pants on that were tucked into small boots. Her hair was hanging freely, clipped back on one side much like Amy wore her hair. He couldn't help but let his gaze trail down her, right to her legs before he snapped them back up with a flush on his cheeks.

"Interesting," he remarked as she stepped up to him and put her arms around his shoulders, his hands settling on her waist.

She just smiled and looked down, "Do you like it?" she asked him softly.

His response was to crook his finger and lift her chin, kissing her soundly, yes very much so.

"Do you like my outfit daddy?" another voice called.

He pulled away from Angel, turning so she was standing beside him, his arm around her waist, to see Ayla standing there, her hands behind her back as she swayed left and right shyly. She was wearing a very cute little light-green dress with small pink flowers on it, much like a sleeveless dress, over a short sleeved white button up shirt with a thick white belt around her waist and little white shoes. Her hair was parted in two, into French braided pigtails, her necklace now replaced with a real chain on which her little pink bowtie hung.

"You look _perfect_ sweetheart," he knelt down and she walked over, hugging him lightly, "Just like your mum," he whispered, smiling up at Angel. She reached out and took his hand the three of them heading to the console room to meet their friends once more.

~8~

"Where is it?!" Amy repeated as she too looked around for the blue police box. But the sound faded and still _no box_.

Suddenly there was the sound of a door opening and they spun around to see an invisible TARDIS with the doors open inside. But what _really_ shocked them was the little projectile that had attached itself to Amy's legs, "Aunt Amy!" a little girl squealed before gasping and running over to Rory, "Uncle Rory!" she leapt at him and he _just_ managed to catch her in his arms and scoop her up.

"Um…hello?" he asked questioningly, not too sure who this little girl was.

"Hold on…" Amy gasped, thinking about the ONLY child the Doctor would have ever brought in the TARDIS with him and returned to Earth to bring to them, "Are you…"

"Ayla," someone called. They looked up to see the Doctor dash out of the TARDIS, "We are going to have a discussion later young lady," he pointed a playful finger at his daughter as Rory just looked at him, stunned, "No running off. Most important rule, don't wander off."

"Sorry daddy," Ayla pouted.

The Doctor broke _instantly_ , "Oh it's alright," he kissed her forehead, "Hello Ponds!" he greeted with a wide grin as the duo just stared at him in shocked silence.

"Doctor?" Amy asked him cautiously, unsure if she was _really_ seeing him or not.

"Amelia," the Doctor greeted, earning a giggle from Ayla.

"Are…are you alright?" she eyed him, he seemed _far_ too cheerful for a man who had just seen his Mate die even if he'd found his daughter.

"Perfect!"

"Doctor," Rory's eyes widened as he grabbed the Doctor's wrist, "You're not wearing the bracelet!"

"Course not," he pulled his arm away, "Why would I? Far too girly, and I am not a girl, not a dinner lady either. Am I dear?" he called over his shoulder.

"I should hope not," a woman's voice drifted over to them. They looked up, stunned to see a strawberry blonde woman with blue eyes step out of the TARDIS as well, "What do you think sweetheart?" she asked Ayla, walking over to her, ignoring the open-mouthed looks she was getting.

Ayla giggled, "He's a boy, mummy," she shook her head, thinking her parents a funny if they couldn't tell the difference.

"Angel?" Rory breathed, scarcely daring to hope as he took in her new form, she'd told him about regeneration, but...had she...

"Rory the Roman," she laughed, assuring him it _was_ indeed her as she stepped up to him and hugged the side not holding her daughter, smiling a bit as she gently returned the connection she had with Rory through the hug, reestablishing the minor psychic bond between Pilot and Companion again.

"Oh my God," Rory breathed, hugging her tighter now that he knew who she was, feeling her real and solid in his arms, he pulled away suddenly, "But…how?!"

Angel simple closed her eyes and a golden swirl enveloped her, looking remarkably similar to regeneration energy except...not as orange, "Look familiar?" she asked with a small smile, looking between Amy and Rory as the swirl died down.

"You…you faked it?" Amy blinked, shaking both with joy and shock. They hadn't seen much of the Vortex, not much of it swirling and shooting out of her like regeneration energy, they hadn't known the difference.

"Not entirely," she told them, "I _did_ die at that lake, but there was nothing that said I couldn't regenerate after. I just used the Vortex to block the second round of fire and hold off the regeneration till I could get away. I had far, _far_ too much to live for," she looked softly at her daughter and Mate.

Amy ran over to her and hugged her tightly, "I'm so glad your alright!" she said, tears in her eyes.

"And I couldn't exactly leave this one to his own devices, could I?" she asked Amy quietly, returning her connection as well. They would have to visit the rest of their former companions and closest friends in order for her to have the physical contact to reestablish the bonds she had with them. It would be harder to reestablish the bonds with Rose and the Doctor's clone, but if she really focused and the TARDIS helped her, they just might be able to give them a faint reassurance she was truly alright at least.

"Oi!" the Doctor called, interrupting her thoughts, "I heard that!" he nudged her, "What?" he looked at Amy, "I don't get a hug?"

Amy laughed and hugged him as well, "Oh where did you find her?" Amy smiled.

"Turns out she um," the Doctor scratched the side of his face, still embarrassed that he hadn't realized this, "SHE was the little girl in the astronaut suit in the warehouse and orphanage."

"What?" Amy looked at Ayla, the little blonde girl and she didn't look a THING like the little brown-haired girl she remembered. She nearly gasped, realizing Ayla must have regenerated...and then she paled, considerably, when another thought struck her.

"Amy?" Angel frowned, "Are you alright?" she stepped up to the woman, putting a hand on her shoulder, seeing her go white as a sheet and turn a bit green too.

"She...she was the girl in the warehouse?" Amy repeated, staring at Ayla, horrified, though the girl didn't notice as she was currently poking Rory's nose, "I...shot her..." she swallowed, "I shot at her!" and then she turned to Angel, grabbing her hand as she looked between her and the Doctor, "I'm SO sorry," she started shaking her head, "I didn't know! I never ever would have done that if I'd known," she winced, "I mean, I know I shouldn't have tried to do that to anyone but...I just...the lake and the suit and...I'm so sorry Doctor, Angel, I'm SO sorry..."

"Amy, Amy, Amy, it's...it's ok," the Doctor moved to hug her, "I mean, it's not ok you tried to shoot our daughter but..." he swallowed, "You didn't know," he whispered, "WE didn't know, no one did..." he winced, except probably River though he expected she wouldn't have said who the girl was even if she had known, "You thought it was the same suit that you thought killed Angel, and you wanted to protect her," he pulled away, touching Amy's cheek, "You wanted to protect my Mate, thank you for that Pond," he hugged her again, "Angel stopped you," he reminded her, "She stopped you hurting Ayla, and Ayla's safe now...everyone's safe," he closed his eyes, squeezing her once more, "We're all ok," he repeated, more to himself than her that time.

"Why are you forgiving me?" Amy whispered to him as she pulled away, seeing Angel had moved over by Rory, knowing she'd needed her Pilot's comfort and forgiveness, "I tried to kill your daughter, River tried to kill Angel in Berlin and you didn't..."

"You didn't know who the target was," he said simply, "River did. You were trying to protect Angel, River was trying to kill her. And...Amy, most important of all...you feel guilty," he told her quietly, glancing at River who was watching them with a tight jaw, "Psychopaths...they don't," he looked back at her, "Maybe, years down the road they might feel a shred, but then, and even now I'd guess, River doesn't feel guilty at all for what she's done."

And THAT was why he could forgive Amy. The girl was nearly having a breakdown over the thought that she'd _nearly_ fired a bullet at his daughter...River had sat there and smirked as Angel died...

Ayla squirmed in Rory's arms and he set her down, watching as she glanced at River ,who had been standing a bit off to the side, silently watching the reunion, before walking over to Angel's side and tugging her shirt for attention. Angel looked at her and she held up her arms, wanting to be close to her mother but Angel could see the slight fear in her eyes. The girl already knew who River Song was. She quickly picked up her daughter and glanced at River, who was now glaring at the two of them, yet another thing Angel had over her, being the mother of the Doctor's child. That was something she could NEVER be, she knew about the species, that Time Lords could only procreate with other Time Lords. And SHE was human.

Angel expected to feel her hearts shatter as they so often had in the past whenever River was involved, with a hopelessness, a sorrow, a resignation, a defeat…but…she had to admit she was...surprised by what she felt at that very moment. It seemed all the Doctor's reassurances and devotion over the last 200 years had paid off in regards to this body. She felt _nothing_ of the sort. She felt...a protectiveness over her family, an understanding of the woman, even a bit of pity. But what's more...she felt confident and sure in the Doctor's love for her, in his choice of HER as his Mate, and she knew in her heart of hearts, she finally accepted it, she finally _believed_ it...he really _did_ love her and only her. And now...she felt strong and sure, of herself more than anything. She had proved she could be just as clever as the Doctor, she had managed to orchestrate ALL of that. She had managed to fool the Silence into believing they were all dead as she knew River wouldn't risk the Doctor's safety by telling the truth of her survival. She wasn't even sure that the River who was about to be locked in Stormcage for the murder even knew she was alive, but she doubted she'd tell as it would mean putting the Doctor in danger once more. The Silence had no idea that the bracelet that River had been wearing in the suit _wasn't_ on her person anymore but had been with the Doctor, so they thought he'd died too. Amy and Rory's reactions afterwards, truly believing she was dead due to her insistence he take the bracelet, would convince anyone she'd died.

She'd felt terrible to lie to them like that, so she'd wanted to take Ayla to see them, to reassure them and to relieve them, to tell the truth of what happened. She...still couldn't believe it had worked. But all her work, her investigation, her planning, her trying to stay one step ahead of them. It _had_ worked. She'd made her family safe again and...she knew...she had to be at least 'good' to do that. And she felt good, knowing she'd been able to fool their enemies and save the Doctor and her daughter...it meant _everything_ to her. She finally felt strong, stronger than she had even at the start of her last incarnation. She'd faced SO much, lived through so much, from the Doctor's amnesia to River to her pregnancy to her capture to her daughter being taken, right to the lake and all that came in between. She'd survived it, she'd faced it, and she'd come away stronger each time.

And now...she _wasn't_ going to back down, not now, not now that she had her family once again. River may have broken her in the past, but she would _never_ let the woman do it again. This body wouldn't stand for it.

"River," she greeted with a nod of the head.

"Angel," River replied tersely.

The Doctor sensed the tension and stepped back to his Mate and child, putting an arm around Angel's shoulders which made River looked away. The Doctor shook his head at her and turned back to the Ponds, "Well, sorry to leave so soon but we really just wanted to pop in and let you know Angel wasn't really dead but," he held a finger to his lips, "Don't tell anyone, we're going to be sticking to the shadows for a while, don't want to cause a fuss."

Amy snorted, "You? Sticking to the shadows? Being all inconspicuous?"

Angel laughed, "I know, would you believe two regenerations ago his way of saying hello was blowing up buildings?"

Amy laughed heartily at that too, "I'd believe it."

"Well that's why I've got my girls," the Doctor said firmly, looking at Angel and Ayla, who was drifting off on Angel's shoulder, her little hand clutching at her mother's shirt, before glancing at the TARDIS, "All three of them," and back, "They'll keep me quiet."

Angel smiled, "I only let him come her with the noise this time so you'd know it was us."

Amy and Rory nodded, looking at them a moment longer, "Goodbye," Rory stepped up, giving Angel another hug, dropping a kiss to Ayla's hair too, before he stepped back to Amy's side, putting an arm around her.

"Bye," Angel smiled at them.

"We'll see you again," the Doctor promised.

"We'll be waiting," Amy agreed.

They gave their companions a nod and headed back to the TARDIS.

"Goodbye River," Angel offered from the doorway, just because she was stronger, didn't mean she was cruel, kindness was just too much a part of her.

But River just tensed her jaw and remained silent.

Angel sighed and headed in, the doors closing behind them as the TARDIS disappeared from view and, a moment later, from Earth without a noise.

~8~

Angel walked quietly through the TARDIS with the Doctor, Ayla now completely asleep but in the Doctor's arms, having been given to him as Angel got them into the Vortex.

"You are an angel you know," he whispered, leaning over to kiss her forehead.

"Why this time?" she smiled up at him.

"River," he said, his jaw clenching even at the mention of her name, "After everything she did...you still try to be kind to her."

"Maybe she just needs more kindness in her life?" she suggested, before she sighed, "But...I'm...I'm not sure how long that will last," she admitted and he gave her a confused look, "If she wants to go after me, fine, it actually doesn't bother me so much anymore. But..." she looked at Ayla, sleeping so innocently and had to smile, "If she treats Ayla the same..." she shook her head.

The Doctor smiled at that, "Motherhood looks good on you," he murmured, leaning in to kiss her again...and again...and again...and once more, pulling away when she laughed, "Now," he looked at the girl in his arms, "What should we do?" he asked her quietly as they reached the hallway of the bedrooms.

"What do you mean?" Angel looked at him questioningly.

"Well…her bedroom's a nursery," he nodded at the door the TARDIS had moved to be across from their own now, "She's not a baby anymore…" he was sad that they'd missed out on her first words, her first steps, but there would be plenty more firsts to come that he was determined to see. Her first scientific equation solved, her first time helping to pilot the TARDIS, the first thing she scanned with a sonic, things like that…

Angel shook her head at him, "You should know better than to doubt my sister," was all she said as she opened the door to the 'nursery.' And before his eyes was no longer a nursery but a beautiful room decorated in golds and browns with splashes of color here and there, a tiny bed and desk set up with a mound of stuffed animals and a small play area with a dollhouse…he let out a breath, this was the perfect room for a little girl, princess-like but not overly done…

Angel eyed the room a moment before looking at her daughter, "Though…" she began, drawing the Doctor's attention back, "I think we should wait to put her in here till she's awake to see it. I don't want her to wake up and be frightened, not knowing where she is…"

The Doctor smiled, he could sense what she was _really_ saying. He simply stepped back and opened the door to their room, stepping in with her and walking to the bed, laying Ayla down on it gently in the center before crawling in on one side, Angel moving around to the other. They didn't get changed, just laid there with their daughter between them, smiles on their faces that their family was ok once more, their thoughts drifting to the bright future they would provide for her despite the danger of the Silence and the fall of the Eleventh…

No, they thought on the positives, on their lives together with their daughter, till they drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! They got Ayla back! ^-^ Sorry, I have been WAITING for this FOREVER! :) I picture the new Angel to look something like Nicole Kidman. For some reason my mind kept coming back to her when I was trying to think of a strawberry blonde actress that was old enough to possibly fit with PC if she didn't regenerate before then, but also had a sort of 'timeless' age to her that could have her fit with MS too :) As for the New Ayla I see her as someone like...Dakota Fanning with slightly more strawberry-blonde hair, both of the new girls with different eye colors :)
> 
> I hope Angel's plan made sense lol. It really was so simple, in my mind at least, but I probably made it more complicated than it was :) Basically she went to the lake, without the Doctor, so that the Silence would think (since River had the bracelet) that he died somewhere as she 'died' (I imagine she would have gone back to the museum and explained what happened if he hadn't interfered). That would get rid of the 'question' and the threat of the Doctor. She invited the Ponds and River because they were there first, and because their reactions would prove to the Silence she was gone, and the Doctor too. The TARDIS was fixed because the Doctor wouldn't ever fix it, so it was a representation that he wasn't there too.
> 
> But when he saved her, she had to get things back on track, now that they knew the Doctor was there, she had to make sure that it didn't seem like he was acting in his attempts to save her. She couldn't risk telling him and something slipping. Giving him the bracelet meant that, to the Ponds, she really thought she'd die, that the Doctor thought she'd die. It also meant that River would have to keep to her time in Stormcage to keep the Doctor safe. But all the while, Angel knew that she could use the Vortex to save herself, she just needed to convince the Silence she was dead.
> 
> It's sort of...SO Angel in a way. Her plan, her original plan, if the Doctor hadn't interfered, would have meant ONLY she 'died,' in a literal sense. She would be the only one really hurt. River would have been locked in Stormcage for her first attempt at killing her anyway, River would always end up in Stormcage and had to be there in order to have a few adventures she'd have in the future. Amy and Rory would be safe, so would all the companions, and the Doctor especially. The Silence would have given up their fight against him, and really only Angel would have been 'harmed' in terms of regenerating. She did it so that everyone would be safe and so the only one suffering any form of pain would be her. ...and then the Doctor got involved and it was a big old mess lol ;)
> 
> I can say Ayla will NOT suddenly have control of the Vortex too, she's a child and...there's more to her death here than we know. But we'll find out exactly what caused her to sicken very soon :(
> 
> I can also say, River's thoughts not to kill Angel even when she was about to kill her at the lake will be explained in the last chapter of this story First/Last night ;) But with a new Angel and a MOTHER Angel...River ought to be Very careful how she acts around the Time Family ;)
> 
> I was debating putting the family's reactions to Ayla in this chapter...but I didn't want to overload you all on TOO many feels, even if they were the good ones ;) But I can say we will definitely see what their reactions to Ayla and to Angel surviving were ;)


	45. Merry Christmas Sweetheart

The Doctor ran through a dark corridor of a spaceship, alarms ringing behind him, blaring "Intruder alert!" repeatedly...

~8~

Angel smiled to herself as she moved around the console, Ayla sitting on the jump seat, watching her. She cast a glance at the answer phone a moment before it picked up and the Doctor's voice rang out.

"Angel!" he shouted over it, "Angel? Ayla it's daddy! It's the Doctor, hello! Angel, got a bit of a situation here…"

"I'm well aware my love," Angel murmured, moving to the controls, trying to pilot the TARDIS to go get him...a hard thing to do as the spaceship he'd found himself in was now on red alert and all the mechanisms and shielding were operating at maximum to keep things contained...the TARDIS was having a difficult time finding an area to land.

How he'd ended up on that spaceship was still a mystery to even her! Well, no, not really. They'd been with Jack at Torchwood and the Doctor had stolen back Jack's Vortex Manipulator when he'd realized the man had gotten it working...again. He'd been in the process of sonicing it off...and ended up teleporting out of the base and she got the feeling, from how the device had sparked terribly moments before the Doctor disappeared, that it had fried itself out and not even the sonic would be able to help. She'd had to say goodbye to the team to get to the TARDIS and track the Doctor down. Luckily though, he hadn't gone too far, spatially or temporally, just about 1938 and just above the Earth really, easy enough for the TARDIS to track with her Emergency Programming to protect her Pilots.

She'd been sad to say goodbye to Jack and the team though, they had gone to see everyone after the Ponds, all the companions at least. And it had been...quite the experience.

They'd started with Sarah Jane, had set the TARDIS down on silent in her attic, the woman not even noticing as she sat on the small step to the platform they'd landed on, staring blankly at the monitor of Mr. Smith, a cold cup of tea in her hand, looking...sad. The Doctor had grinned and sent Ayla down with a small nudge. The girl had smiled and skipped over to Sarah Jane, plopping down beside her and asking her 'What's wrong Aunt Sarah?'

The Doctor had laughed, _never_ having seen Sarah Jane Smith jump so high before. But Sarah Jane had just stared at Ayla, smiling at her, and back to the TARDIS behind her, at the Doctor and the new Angel, and then back at Ayla, had simply asked her 'Ayla?' and she'd grinned and nodded, before Sarah Jane pulled her close and hugged her, crying.

They knew that the family had selected their own 'unofficial' titles for who they were to Ayla, Sarah Jane having claimed 'godmother' which was fine with them. Sarah Jane was a fantastic mother and a woman they trusted above all others, even the more recent companions, to watch over Ayla if anything happened to them. Luke, visiting from University on holiday, and Rani and Clyde had come running in, having heard Sarah Jane give a little scream with her jump to see her crying and hugging a little girl, with the Doctor standing there, an arm around a blonde woman, both of them smiling and...worked it out. Having met that Doctor after having met his last self they knew Angel had to have regenerated.

There had been hugs all around as Sarah Jane finally released Ayla...who'd gone to hug her 'cousins' as she called Luke, Rani, and Clyde despite the fact that only Luke was Sarah Jane's child. It didn't matter to her any more than it did her mother who her family was or their biological ties to her. She just saw them as family, which had touched Sarah Jane quite a bit, she was SO like Angel in that regard.

They had told Sarah Jane what happened and...she'd fixed Angel, of all people, with a disapproving stare, and told her she was more disappointed that she didn't come to them for help, they were family, that was what they did. But when Angel explained she was trying to _protect_ them, that was why she COULDN'T bring them in, Sarah Jane had relented, but warned her 'not to ever do that again young lady!' Which made them all laugh at, given Angel was nearly 1,000 years old. She'd also warned the Doctor that he had better not hog her goddaughter and bring her round more often and...he'd agreed, something that had made Sarah Jane beam and hug him for. The Doctor rarely ever looked back, visited even less, but...she could tell he was SO happy that his daughter was ok, that she was with them, and that visiting 'the family' would make his daughter happy.

It was obvious to all that, for how little the Doctor could say no to Angel, he could say it even less to his daughter.

They'd gone to Donna next, oh THAT had been an experience and a half.

They'd landed the TARDIS, stepped out...and right into Donna, who had been waiting there, outside her house, with her hands on her hips and started in on the both of them about 'what were you thinking?!' The Doctor had actually looked quite fearful for Angel's safety when Donna had started shouting at her, the Mating instinct telling him to get in the way of the anger directed at his Mate, but Angel was...smiling. She'd just stood there and smiled, before stepping up to Donna, mid-rant, and hugging her tightly. Donna's shouts died away and he could see the tears in her eyes as she sniffled and hugged Angel back, whispering 'I thought you were really gonna die...'

And they'd realized, just as Donna had remembered the real timeline in the alternate one, she remembered the alternate one in this one was well. A bit of Angel's mind protecting her. She remembered the distress call, she remembered trying to get the others to believe her when she told them that someone they all loved was in danger. And she remembered what it felt like to have Angel die, even knowing that Angel was really ok.

So Angel had hugged her.

And he had hugged her.

And Ayla hugged her too.

And then Donna realized there was an extra person attached to her legs and had looked down at the little girl staring up at her and then turned to them, still hugging, and said 'That's not...is she? No, she can't be...can she?!' which made them laugh, same old Donna.

Donna had gotten a hug out of Ayla as well, telling the girl she was JUST like her parents, she could tell, she even looked like them! Which had...startled them. They really hadn't noticed till they looked at each other and Ayla, that she DID look like them despite the regeneration. She had blonde hair with a strawberry hue, similar to Angel, but...HIS green eyes. It was like, the girl she'd been had looked like them too, they'd seen her in the warehouse, should have realized it from that alone. She had his last self's brown hair and Angel's last self's gray eyes...this time it was the reverse. This time she STILL looked like THEIR daughter. Which was incredible.

And of course, Donna would make them aware of that, Donna was brilliant...and scary. She'd threatened the Doctor with bodily harm if he didn't come visit them every so often. She really _had_ scared the daylights out of him and he'd agreed promptly...and then Donna had grabbed Angel's hand and Ayla's and pulled them into the TARDIS to induct their youngest member into Gingers United, claiming that, eventually the girl would be ginger one day and she wanted to make sure SHE was still around to induct her in.

They had pictures of that, of her and Donna and Ayla dressed in ridiculous outfits and inducting the girl in, the Doctor had been greatly amused.

He'd been less amused, though, when he'd stepped out of the TARDIS and had needed Angel to pull him down to duck a punch from Mickey Smith...who had gone running out of his house at the sound of the wheezing noise, on a warpath for the Doctor. The second he'd felt Angel die, like Martha had, he'd panicked, thought that the only way Angel could have died was if the Doctor hadn't protected her. The process of pulling the Doctor to duck had, of course, left Mickey with the force of a swing and no target...and he'd bashed his fist against the door frame of the TARDIS...and he STILL kept swinging for the Doctor...till Martha pulled him back, trying to look at his hand.

He'd tried to pull away, shouting that the Doctor had let Angel die...till Angel stepped up and took his hand, telling him she was right there...and healing his hand with Vortex energy, proving her claim as well. Mickey had stared at her, wide eyed, not fully believing it...till she called him Mickey the Magnificent and hugged him and he'd realized it really WAS her.

And then Martha had looked at the Doctor when he seemed to growl a bit at the man-touching-his-Mate, and noticed Ayla peeking out at them from behind the Doctor's legs and gasped, drawing their attention over. Mickey had turned around and his eyes widened as he and Martha looked at her shyly waving at them. All they'd been able to manage was a point in her direction and a stare at the Doctor which had made him laugh and nod, introducing her.

Mickey had feared he'd frightened her with his attack on the Doctor and gone to kneel by her, all he'd had to say was 'Hey there, beautiful...' and Ayla had beamed and hugged him, bringing tears to Martha's eyes as she hugged Angel, SO happy they'd found their daughter again and that they were all ok once more.

Mickey too had threatened to hunt the Doctor down if he didn't swing round at times. Which had made him huff and ask why everyone was threatening HIM for that. To which Martha had laughed and reminded him _Angel_ was the one who usually kept in touch. He'd smiled and had to agree, winding an arm around her shoulders, beaming when she'd rested her head on his shoulder, and murmured she was the glue that held it all together, the Dream Lord had been right.

And then Ayla had stepped up to her Aunt Martha and tugged her down by her sleeve, holding out her pinky to promise she'd get her daddy to come to see them. Martha smiled at the familiar gesture, one she had taught Angel, the pinky promise, and leaned in to hug the girl tightly, smiling up at them over Ayla's shoulder.

Even JENNY had threatened him! Though it was in a more playful way. They'd managed to get to Messaline earlier than for the others, they'd tried to get there within hours of Angel's 'death' but they hadn't been sure if the Silence might still be there so they'd ended up a few days...sometimes a few weeks late. But for Jenny they wanted to get to her quicker. Being a partial Time Lady, because of the Doctor, they knew she'd feel the death of her 'mother' much stronger and more profoundly. So they'd raced to Messaline, set down right when it appeared Jenny was preparing a shuttle to go find out what had happened.

Jenny had taken one look at them, one glance at Angel had been all it took for her to realize she'd regenerated, seeing the exact same kindness and warmth in her eyes as when she'd first met her 'mother' and then...spotting Ayla with them...she'd burst into tears and ran for them. She'd hugged them all, dropping to her knees to get Ayla in there as well and just...hugged them, the humans and Hath respectfully keeping distant to let them have their moment. Jenny had peppered Ayla's face with kisses and hugged her, absolutely thrilled that they resembled each other and could truly look like siblings, with blonde-ish hair and, they seemed to have the same sort of smile to them as well.

It had been amazing to see Jenny again, to reassure her they were ok, to get a big, tearful group hug in there, one family again. Ayla had asked her to come with them, and they could tell it had broken Jenny's hearts to say no, but she just knelt down and reminded the girl that when she got older she would have responsibilities and that she'd have to keep the promises she makes. She told her there was still a lot to do on Messaline, that there was a lot to mend and fix from the war with the Hath. So much devastation had been done in only so little time, it was still taking them a while to repair everything. But she told Ayla that any time she wanted to visit to come...and then looked at the Doctor and told him that she'd hop in a shuttle and find him, drag him there if she had to.

He'd just rolled his eyes but said he'd come more often, it would be worth it to get all his girls together in one place. Which had made Jenny beam to hear.

Oddly enough Jack was the only one to NOT threaten or try to punch him, which was shocking. They'd gone to the Hub, to see the team about to leave, not armed to the teeth so they knew it was more a social outing than anything, and Angel had bolted for Jack, shouting his name and hugging him tightly. Jack's hands had shot into the air beside him, turning...with Angel still dangling off him...to Ianto with wide eyes shouting 'No touching!' which made the team laugh. Jack was...slowly becoming a one-man man, the flirting with others toning down quite a bit since Miracle Day. It was like...realizing Gray was immortal had reminded him the rest of them weren't, and he lived each day with Ianto to the fullest, just like Ianto wanted.

Angel had laughed and squeezed him tighter, saying 'You had better hug me or I won't introduce you to your goddaughter Jack.'

The Doctor smiled at how wide Jack's eyes shot open, so far that his eyebrows literally disappeared into his hairline, as he quickly hugged her back, whispering 'Angie?' as though he couldn't believe it was her. And he couldn't. He'd felt her die, the entire team had, and they'd been _devastated_ , but there she was, back and solid and whole and real and THERE! WITH her daughter!

A little girl that had tugged on his pant leg and looked up at him with eyes that matched the Doctor and he'd fallen in love with the little girl as instantly as he had when she was a baby, she was adorable! He'd scooped her up and hugged her...the entire team coming over to join in the group hug as the older Time Lords watched with wide smiles. Ayla had squirmed and ended up in Gray's arms by the end of the hug, the man looking alarmed and terrified of holding a child, he hadn't really held Tosh or Gwen's children much, he was scared he'd drop her, which had amused the team to no end as Gray was rarely afraid of anything.

They'd gone into the Hub and just...talked. They'd told them what happened at the lake, what had happened with the alternate timeline, how they'd found Ayla. Jack and Gray had grown very quiet at that, and then looked at each other with a look that they all knew meant the brothers were each silently plotting how they would hunt River Song down for what she'd done...

Till Ayla hopped off Jack's lap and walked over to Ianto, climbing on top of him, to the amusement of the others, kneeling on his lap to look at him, her little hands resting on his shoulders for balance. She asked him 'Are you Uncle Jack's angel, Uncle Ianto?' It had confused Ianto who said no, he was Jack's...boyfriend. But Ayla shook her head, saying, 'no, are you like mummy to daddy but to Uncle Jack?' which admittedly, confused _all_ of them at that point, till Ayla rolled her eyes at the adults being silly and slow and added, 'You keep the dark away?'

Which had made Angel and the Doctor smile. Jack had nodded, saying that yes, Ianto was his own angel, which made Ianto blush heavily. Ayla had just cheered and hugged Ianto, Jack smiling as well as he realized what Ayla ha really meant. She'd seen his expression, she had realized, like her parents, where his mind had gone...dark. It was her own way of telling Ianto to not let him hurt someone else, because if HE said no, Gray wouldn't go after River either. And so he'd had to comment that Ayla was most certainly her mother's daughter and had to ask the Doctor what it was like to have TWO angels with him. The Doctor had just smiled and said it was indescribable, before leaning over to kiss Angel, ignoring the cheers of the team and how Ayla giggled and buried her face in Ianto's neck to not look.

Everything had been so amazing, spending a bit of time with everyone, with Ayla getting to know her family. And then the Doctor had gotten the Manipulator and...well, that reminded her...

She pulled a lever, moving to the monitor and bringing up a visual of the ship's interior, using the security footage to see that the Doctor was standing by a wall, a headset on his ear, his finger pushing a small red button that was embedded into the wall, the alarms still ringing in the background.

"I've got my finger on a button," the Doctor continued, speaking into the headset around his ear, coming up over the TARDIS answer phone, "Which is fine. But as soon as I take my finger _off_ the button the spaceship is going to explode…" he winced as the button sparked, "Ahh! Which is good in one way, 'cos the spaceship in question is about to attack the Earth. But bad in another way 'cos I'm ON the spaceship and I'm gonna get all…smithereened. Now, plan, I'm going to send you the coordinates so you can fly the TARDIS here and rescue me. Only three flaws in this plan far as I can see…1. I don't have the coordinates, 2. you're not in the TARDIS right now you're with Ayla at Torchwood…" he soniced the button, trying to turn it off, "3.," it sparked, "OH DEAR! The button won't sonic off. Oh well I think I just wanted a chat before all the…" he turned and tried to pull a wire out of the wall instead...it still didn't work, actually, it made it worse, "…smithereening."

He stared at the button as it started beeping _very_ fast and looked over his shoulder, "Merry Christmas sweetheart," he breathed, before closing his eyes and letting go of the button...

Angel shook her head, moving back to the controls to try and get them back to the Doctor in time, "Oh Doctor," he always seemed to get in quite a bit of trouble around Christmas didn't he? And this one was shaping up to be...interesting, wasn't it?

She just hoped there were no killer robots this time. She...she really wanted this to be a nice one, for Ayla especially, her first, well... _their_ first...ever Christmas all together.

She really, REALLY hoped there were no killer robots this time.

~8~

All around the spaceship, different parts began to explode...

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted to give a chapter to what the reactions of the family were, the reactions we were able to see anyway, poor Rose and John, but I think Angel managed to get through to them and give them a bit of reassurance that she was ok :)
> 
> I'm really excited for the next actual episode, fluff! Yay! Not much here with the Doctor being elsewhere, but we'll be getting family time and fluff and adventure! Woo! :) I really can't wait to show the adventures to come with Ayla ;) Even more so this new Angel around River ;)
> 
> I also wanted to say, for the New Angel...I'm going to wait to announce her new theme until the start of Series 7, just so we can get a feel of the New Angel first ;)


	46. The Time Family, the Widow, and the Wardrobe: The Manor

A large ship loomed over the Earth, the automatic guns alongside it readying themselves and turning towards the unsuspecting planet below, "People of Earth you stand alone!" a voice shouted to the stars...only a moment before a series of explosions went off down the length of the ship, "Intruder alert! Intruder alert!"

~8~

Within the ship, the Doctor ran down the halls, his sonic out and ready, trying to make it...somewhere he had a chance of surviving the destruction. This was the LAST time he was _ever_ going to take a Vortex Manipulator...from Jack. That poor thing had been broken and pieced together so many times now he honestly shouldn't have been surprised that it had likely killed itself when he'd attempted shutting it off. Oh it probably had a little bit of life still in it, sticking to the lint and wires, but it was refusing to work for him. There was no way for him to get back to Torchwood circa 2011 and he hoped, very dearly, that Angel was trying to find a way to get to him.

If she was...which he knew in his hearts she was...then he not only had to get to a safe place but a stable place as well. The TARDIS would never be able to land in there with all the explosions. He supposed that was what he got for setting them off in the first place. Honestly he'd just appeared there due to that blasted Manipulator, and wandered the ship to try and see where he was...only to see they were a hostile ship and about to attack the Earth in the past when it had even less knowledge of aliens in an attempt to conquer it. So, of course, he'd had to stop it. He'd really just been trying to shut down the weapons, wanting to strand them till he could negotiate/warn the attackers away.

His eyes must have been older than he thought because he'd ended up crossing the wrong wires and, the next thing he knew, the weapons were going off...INSIDE the ship, destroying everything.

Oops.

So he'd bolted, tried to get out, was STILL trying to get out and praying to the stars that he'd make it out. They'd just found Ayla, he couldn't leave her and Angel now! He...he didn't want to force Angel to have to wear the Dampening Bracelet. They had it with them again, he was STILL beating himself up over not having realized that River had taken it in Berlin. But, if he HAD, if he'd stopped her, then all of Angel's planning would have been for nothing and the Silence would still be after them. Still, they had it now and...they'd talked long and hard about it between going to see Jack from seeing Jenny, Ayla had needed sleep between nearly all those trips. They'd talked and...they'd come to an agreement of sorts...they both promised that, if there was EVER a situation (not that there would be, they'd make sure of it) where one of them was truly about to die and the other couldn't save them, really and truly going to die and not come back...then the other would wear the bracelet, for Ayla, until she was old enough to understand what a Mating was and till she was secure enough and strong enough and protected enough to last on her own. They wouldn't ever want to leave her, not even when she was fully grown, but...they would have been living likely centuries without their Mate and, by then, they would just...miss them too much.

But they were absolutely certain that _nothing_ like that would come up and they were determined to ensure it never did. So they would never ever have to worry about that.

"Intruder alert!" an alarm rang out, reminding the Doctor of where he was and what was going on.

He winced as the explosions went off around him, the walls crumbling, falling in his way, knocking him off balance. He tripped and fell to the ground, getting up a moment later and running, flashing the sonic as he went to try and find a safe place. He flashed a circular closed door before him, rushing into it as it opened. He ducked into a roll from the force of an explosion behind him and leapt up, sonicing the door closed behind him moments before the fires of yet another explosion reached him.

~8~

The Doctor, who had somehow unknown to even him ended up clinging to the edged of the ship's deck, reached over the edge of it, trying in vain to climb back onto the platform and not fall into the vacuum of space like the laws of physics and gravity were trying to remind him. He slipped, grabbing onto a large wire sticking out from an exposed section, broken apart by the numerous explosions that had, for the moment, ceased yet the fires were still burning within...which he knew could be even more dangerous once the heat got to be too much and the ship, well, exploded and he ended up smithereened.

He struggled to hold on to the wire...when he caught sight of a spacesuit lying only a few feet away on the deck, no, not just a spacesuit, an impact suit! It just might protect him from the explosion and inevitable crash into the Earth that was sure to follow! Oh it was Christmas!

"Come here spacesuit!" he called, reaching for it, "Come to Doctor!"

He cried out in pain as one final explosion blasted the ship apart, sending the suit flying away out of his grasp and into space, knocking him after it in the process. He turned, managing to maneuver himself closer to the suit, grabbing onto the foot of it. With a laugh, he scrambled to get himself into it before he found himself outside the lingering protective shell of the ship and unable to breathe...

He was quite hoping that he might, as much as he loathed to think on it, 'pull a River' and end up flying away from the ship, fall into the TARDIS, and land in the pool or something to that effect. He was sure that would be something that would make Ayla laugh, but...just to be sure and safe, he really needed to get that suit on...

~8~

A woman with short, curly, blonde hair rode her bike down a dark street, dressed for the winter of the late 1930s. She looked over, hearing a long yell when suddenly there was a boom! A bright light and a terrible force knocked her off her bike and into the bush beside her. She frowned, looking across the small road to a little field where a strange light blue glow was visible. She pushed herself up and walked over to a wooden fence, looking at the crater that now marred the field before pushing past it and walking over to the hole.

There, lying inside the crater, was the Doctor in the spacesuit. He was clearly lying on his stomach, however, the helmet of the suit in question was facing up as though he were on his back.

"Hello?" she called, walking over to the edge of the crater, "Hello! Hello are you alright?" the Doctor could only moan, "Are you hurt?" she frowned, making her way into the crater as he let out another pained noise, "Did you fall?" she looked up, confused, "Where did you fall from?"

"Helmet…" the Doctor groaned, that was...not a nice experience. If he was going to fall anywhere and crash, he'd rather it be in his big comfy bed...and pulling Angel down with him.

"Oh, alright…just…just let me," she knelt down, "Oh I don't want to hurt you…" she reached forward gently and pushed up the outer visor of the suit and then the second one. A light turned on within the helmet...revealing the back of the Doctor's head, "Oh!"

"I can't see!" he gasped, "I'm blind!"

"Oh, no love, no, I think you've just got your helmet on backwards," she laughed, "How did you manage that?"

"I got dressed in a hurry," was all he could manage to ground out.

Now he understood why women took so long doing that...he doubted Angel would have gotten her helmet on backwards. He winced at that, no, Angel wouldn't have because Angel wouldn't be putting on a helmet, because he would be damned if he got her into a situation like that where she was in that much danger. He was being completely honest with Amy, he was going to stick to the shadows, he wasn't and wouldn't risk his family's safety because he couldn't help showing off. He wouldn't risk the Silence discovering their continued existence and come after them and Ayla, not ever.

~8~

In a quaint little house a young ginger boy with thick round glasses stood looking through a telescope when the blonde woman walked in, "Cyril what are you doing awake?" she asked her son as he turned to look at her.

"The moon's full apparently," a young girl said as she walked in, her brown hair in pigtails, dressed in a dressing gown, with a glass of water in her hand, "It's _too_ interesting."

"It's _astronomy_ ," Cyril defended.

"Don't make up words. He's always making up things and breathing…"

"Where's your father?" the woman asked.

"In the garden," Cyril replied.

"What is he doing in the garden?" she asked as she walked over to his side, looking out the window where the garden was.

"Agriculture."

"You're not fooling anyone!" the girl called as she walked out of the room.

"Listen Cyril," the woman leaned down to talk to him, "Tell him that I've borrowed Mr. Goldsmith's car, that I found a spaceman in a field, possibly an angel, he keeps muttering about one, but he's injured and I can't get his helmet off so I'm having to take him into town to find a police telephone box alright?"

The boy looked at her a moment, "Alright."

She smiled, "Good boy!" she turned and left, leaving him to the telescope when his father entered the room.

"Was that your mother?" he asked as Cyril turned to him, "Where's she going?"

Cyril thought a moment before replying with a simple, "Out."

~8~

A car drove down the street that night, quite badly, until it was pulled over to the side of the road a few feet away from a blue police telephone box with a jerk.

"Ow!" the Doctor groaned as he jolted, like he had done numerous times throughout the journey, "Oh…did we just bump into something?"

"No, no," the blonde woman, the driver or said car, reassured him.

"We seem to bump into quite a lot of things," he remarked, putting a hand to his head.

Oh he was starting to get a migraine, and that wasn't good. He was rather...crabby when his head hurt, he knew. And he just...he wanted to be in a good mood when he saw his girls again. He could feel it now, they were back on Earth, and he just...had to get to them. It was a vague sense though, because wherever they were they were inside the TARDIS and with the firewall Angel had installed the psychic shielding was a bit more powerful.

"Well a lot of things get in the way, it's hardly my fault," she turned off the car and got out, "You need to take that silly thing off."

"Can't," he called, his voice muffled from the helmet, "Impact suit, it's still repairing me."

She opened his door for him, frowning, not really understanding what he meant by that, "Repairing you?"

He groaned, "Yeah well you know," he let out a muffled pained noise as she helped him out, "That's the idea!"

She took his arm, leading him towards the box, "Won't it repair you back to front?"

He quickly checked his front and back, "No! No."

"Well that's good," she grinned…and then he walked into a street lamp with a clang, "Oh! That's a street lamp."

"Yes, I got that impression," he moaned, his hand pressed against his helmet, unable to rub his head.

"Round this way," she tugged him to the side, pulling him around the lamp to the box as he swung his arm out to avoid another similar incident, not quite trusting her to not lead him into another lamp, "Don't you want me to take you to hospital or something? Or you're welcome to come to our house."

"No, no, no, I'm fine," he reassured her as they reached the box, "I just need to find," he began to pat himself looking for a way into the suit, "The um…the key."

"Oh, do you want me to do it with a pin?" she grinned, pulling one from her hair, "I'm good with a pin," she turned and got to work on the door.

"Multi-dimensional, triple-encoded, temporal interface. Not really susceptible to pointy things," he moved to lean against the corner of the box...but missed, falling to the side, just managing to catch himself before he fell to the ground completely, "Oh, ah," he straightened himself.

"Got it!" she cheered as the door clicked open.

"Ok…suddenly the last 900 years of time travel seem a bit less secure," he'd have to work on that, it wouldn't do for them to be sleeping and someone break into the TARDIS so easily. But he would worry about that later as he turned and held out his hand straight before him, completely missing the woman who had ducked a bit to avoid the swing, "Thank you for taking care of me," she moved around his hand to take it properly, "You didn't have to you know you've been very kind. Just like Angel."

The woman blushed at being called an angel, not realizing it was a name, "Oh don't be silly. It's Christmas Eve!" she let go of his hand, "No one should be alone at Christmas."

He chuckled, patting the suit, it seemed it really WAS Christmas then. He hadn't really had time to get a proper look at the date on the ship, he just knew he was a few decades in the past, "What did you say your name was?"

"Madge. Madge Arwell."

"If there's ever anything that I can do for you, let me know."

"How?"

"I don't know," he shrugged, "Make a wish, that usually works."

"Does it?"

"Well it did for me, you're here aren't you?" he laughed a bit with her, "Wouldn't wait around here just, off you go home, I'll just go and uh," he tried to look up at the box, "And wait inside here," Madge eyed him a moment as he walked into the box, before shrugging and heading off, "Ow!" there was a crash and she turned to see him standing in the doorway of an ordinary police box, "Wrong one. Do you think we can try again?"

~8~

Madge frowned, squinting as she drove down a small country lane, ironically the same one that she had found the spaceman angel in...when a soft wheezing noise filled the area.

"Stop!" the Doctor shouted, "Stop!" Madge jammed on the brakes, bringing the car to yet another jerky stop, making him groan once more, "Shhhh…" he held up a finger to where his lips would have been as he listened, the wheezing starting to quiet, "Is it here?" he turned in his seat towards Madge.

She looked around and her eyes widened as, there, right beside the crater she could see a blue police telephone box, "Yes, yes, I see it!" she called, before frowning, "Now how did that get there?" but she shook her head, seeing him struggling to get out of the car and rushed to help him. She took his arm, carefully leading him to the field, mindful of the fence this time.

The Doctor stepped forward as he reached the box, holding out a hand towards it. He put his hand on the doors, hearing a faint hum from the inside through the helmet, and turned to Madge, "This should be it," he told her, holding out his hand once more, "Thank you again, Madge Arwell."

Madge laughed and shook his hand. She stepped back a moment, watching as he turned and felt for the handle, quickly heading into the box, sneaking through so she couldn't see the inside. She waited a moment longer to see if he would come out but when he didn't she simply shrugged and headed back to the car, heading back home.

~8~

The Doctor waited till he heard the engine of the car start up and grow fainter before he turned around, the familiar hum of the TARDIS around him.

"Oh, what have you gotten into this time, my love?"

He smiled, not just from hearing Angel's laugh but from _her words_ as well. This incarnation seemed to _love_ calling him 'my love,' which warmed his hearts to hear every single time, he'd never ever get tired of that, especially with how distant they'd been for quite a bit of her last incarnation, to hear her say that...he smiled each time. Just like he smiled when another word from another girl was spoken.

A moment later there was a tug on the helmet and it came off to reveal Angel's beautiful sparkling blue eyes, the woman herself smiling at him.

"Took you long enough!" he remarked with a smile, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her, he'd gone FAR too long without kissing her. This was really becoming a problem, but one he wasn't sure he ever wanted to quit. He'd found that, every incarnation of her, every new one he loved kissing more and more, for longer and longer, but that was just fine with him. Given the...distance before...he was ALL too happy to have this closeness restored.

He pulled away a moment later, resting his forehead to hers when...

"Daddy!" he heard a cheer and immediately leaned down, scooping Ayla up into his arms as she ran over to him to deliver a large hug at the sight of him ok once more.

Oh he could most certainly get used to this, his girls, hugging him when he returned back from a dangerous situation...

' _Do it on purpose and there won't be quite as many,_ ' Angel warned him playfully, making him laugh and nod, kissing her cheek before they headed to the console to get out of there.

~8~

Madge entered her house to see her husband sitting on the sofa, reading the paper, the headline 'WAR LOOMS' glaring out at her.

"You were a long time," he remarked, "Been taking home strays as usual?"

She smiled, taking off her coat, "Just the one," she sighed, moving to another sofa across from him, "Oh what have you been reading, not the war again. People keep reading about the war then it'll actually happen. And then where will you be?"

~8~

_Three years later..._

Mr. Arwell was piloting a war plane though a cloudy dark night, the engines struggling to maintain themselves, only an inch away from failing. A man crept up from the back of the plane, "Sir, Anderson's in a bad way," he reported, looking out the window, "Where are we?"

"I don't know. Somewhere over the Channel."

"What do I tell Anderson?"

He flinched, struggling to find something to say that wouldn't alarm the man, comfort him, but not lie to him at the same time, "Tell him…tell him…tell him we're going home for Christmas."

The man nodded solemnly, hearing the unspoken words, the unspoken truth behind it, "Yes sir," he headed back.

Mr. Arwell's face scrunched, looking very much like he was about to cry. They _would_ be going back for Christmas, but he very much doubted they would be alive to celebrate it. He looked over at a picture of Madge he'd taped to his window, "I'm sorry, my love," he whispered, touching it, and cried as he struggled to navigate, the plane starting to decline...

~8~

Madge slept, alone in her bed, waking suddenly in the middle of the night. She sat up, looking over at her bedside table...where a telegram sat, expressing the condolences of the nation, telling her her husband had been lost over the Channel as the result of enemy action on the 20th, only days before Christmas.

~8~

Cyril and his sister sat at the dining room table while Madge stood by the window, looking out at the night, "When's father coming back?" Cyril asked.

"For Christmas like he always does," his sister replied, holding up a wishbone in her hand, the leftovers from dinner, the last dinner they would be having in the house for the moment, "Now hurry up and think of something."

"But we're going to Uncle Digby's house. Will he be there?"

She hesitated a moment, looking over at her mother, "He will, won't he mother? Daddy will be there…"

Madge put on a smile and turned to them, thankful they couldn't see the tears in her eyes from the secret she was keeping from them, "Course he will."

"See," her daughter smiled and turned back to her brother, "Now, have you thought of anything?"

"Um...yes," he nodded, reaching forward to take the other end of the wishbone.

"Count to three then. Make a wish."

Madge closed her eyes as her daughter counted down.

"1. 2. 3!" they broke the bone.

And Madge's eyes opened, looking up at the stars, hoping that her spaceman angel had been telling the truth, to make a wish...because she could really use that help he'd offered her so many years ago.

~8~

The TARDIS whizzed through space and time, Angel at the controls while the Doctor walked around them and over to her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her on the temple, grinning as he nuzzled his nose to the side of her face, before turning her head gently to kiss her on the lips as well, "So beautiful," he whispered to her, giving her another kiss...or two...or three, before continuing on.

He walked around the console to where Ayla was sitting on the jump seat, eagerly kicking her little legs and fidgeting excitedly as though she knew something good was coming, "So," he clapped his hands, grinning as he turned to her, "I think it's high time you learned how to fly the TARDIS little lady," he pointed at her.

"Really!?" her eyes widened in excitement, he nodded, "Thank you daddy!" she jumped out of her seat and ran to hug his legs.

"Now," he pulled away a bit and knelt before her, taking her hands in his own, "You're mum's a rather good flyer," he told her, "But I think I'm just as good," he leaned in to mock-whisper, "Possibly better…" he ignored Angel's hearty laughter behind him, well, not ignored really, he took a moment to bask in how lovely it was, so rich and full of emotion, he LOVED hearing it, "So, it makes sense that you should learn from the best eh?"

Ayla looked at him a moment before looking at the rotor as the TARDIS hummed, making her giggle. She pulled her hands away from his to cover her mouth with the both of them, trying to stifle the giggles.

He frowned, seeing Angel shaking her head as well with a fond look, "What?"

Ayla pulled her hands away just a bit, "Aunt Idris is laughing at you," she told her father gently, "It tickles."

They had learned, quite early, the moment they and Ayla had entered the console room for the first time, the first time the TARDIS had really hummed since Angel's regeneration...that Angel was even more connected to the TARDIS than before, and Ayla seemed to share a special bond as well. After dealing with House and Idris, when Idris had used Angel to speak, Angel had had a better sense of what the TARDIS would be trying to say at times, feeling almost like she could hear whispers of words from the old girl. But now, ever since her regeneration...she actually COULD hear the TARDIS. It was like there was someone murmuring in her head, clear words, and she knew it was the TARDIS.

It seemed like Ayla understood the box too, which did make sense in a way. Angel had built up her relationship and bond with the box for centuries, starting even on Gallifrey for a time. But Ayla...she'd been conceived IN the TARDIS, it had to make her more connected to the box as well.

The Doctor pouted and looked at Angel, "Your sister is laughing at me."

"Yes," Angel nodded, trying in vain to hide her own smile, "Yes, she is."

"Tell her to stop," he mock-whined, making Ayla giggle even more.

Angel rolled her eyes playfully before stroking the rotor, "Come now Sissy, it's not his fault he's got delusions of grandeur…"

"Oi!" he stood up and made his way over to her, "I'm right here, I can hear everything you're saying."

The TARDIS hummed once more.

"What'd she say now?"

Angel smiled and walked over to him the last few steps to stand before him, "She says, if anyone is going to teach her niece how to fly it'll be her," he pouted again, "But," he looked at her as she took his hands, squeezing them, "She says...that you're supposed to teach her where the brakes are."

He laughed, letting his head fall forward to rest against her forehead, smiling, "And let me guess, she wants me to explain what the noise is?"

"Yes of course," Angel nodded, "The sound of the Universe," she whispered, and it really was though they liked to joke that the Doctor was just so poor a 'driver' that he constantly left the brakes on. But really, quite a few TARDISes made that sound, it was actually more natural to hear that than for them to run silently, it was the sound of time and space being displaced due to the travel that made the noise.

It literally was the sound of the Universe around the TARDIS.

The Doctor smiled at that, leaning forward, and kissed her gently, a hand trailing up her arm to touch her cheek, deepening it, when…

"Aunt Idris says get a room," Ayla translated for the gentle hum of the TARDIS. They looked over to see her making a bit of a sour, yet playful and adorable, face at their display of affection and laughed.

"Oi, what's that face for?" the Doctor turned to her, though with a smile on his face, "Come here!" he laughed, scooping her up with both hands, spinning around a moment before he brought her close, holding her as he peppered her face with small kisses, making her giggle and turn her face this way and that to avoid it.

"Daddy!" she laughed, "Stop it!" she finally managed to reach out, putting her hands on his mouth to keep him back and smiled when she felt him pout against her hands...before she leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the nose, "I win!"

He chuckled at that, "Yes you do," he agreed, and he knew she would always win, her and Angel because...if they won, that meant HE was their prize, even though he thought it was quite the opposite. He STILL didn't know what he could have possibly done to deserve them. But he wasn't about to question it.

He pressed a gentle kiss to Ayla's forehead and settled her against his hip, his arm around her waist as she had one around his shoulders, "Right then," he smiled at her, tapping her nose with a finger, getting back to point, "First things first, coordinates!" and brought her over to one of the keypads where they typed in the coordinates, launching into an explanation of just how they worked while Ayla looked up at her mother across the console, the two of them sharing a secretive smile, one that grew when the Doctor allowed _her_ to put in her own coordinates later...

Random coordinates she had just put in on whimsy...which, they would find, ended up being for a lovely old manor in Dorset.

~8~

Madge stood before a lovely old country manor that Christmas Eve, her children on either side of her as she set her suitcase down, looking up at it.

"Is it haunted?" Cyril asked.

"Is it drafty?" her daughter wondered.

"Oh this is no good," Madge remarked, "Where's Mr. Cardew he's supposed to be here?" she walked over to the front door and knocked.

"Maybe it's haunted by the ghost of Uncle Digby," Cyril muttered.

"Uncle Digby is still alive," his sister told him, "He's in a home in Battersea."

Madge knocked again, calling, "Mr. Cardew!"

"But why do we have to _come_ here?" Cyril moaned.

"Because of the bombing, stupid," his sister sighed.

"I _like_ the bombing, it's exciting."

His sister shook her head and turned to their mother as she walked back to them, "Will father be here? Well he will, won't he? You said he'd meet us at the house."

"He'll be here!" Madge exclaimed, before taking a breath to calm down, "Of course he will, you don't need to keep asking about it."

The children looked up, hearing a door open inside the manor, "Father!" they called, running to the door.

"Sorry!" a man's voice called out, muffled from the inside as they stopped, knowing it was most certainly NOT their father's voice, "It's the door! It's developed a fault!" they could hear him struggling to open the door.

"Oh hello!" Madge smiled, picking up her case and walking towards the door, "Mr. Cardew…"

Suddenly the door fell backwards, completely unhinged, and onto the floor, the Doctor appearing before them by poking his head around the side of the other, still standing, door, "Here we go. Well come in! In you come," he stepped to the side, ushering them in, "Mind your step now, don't worry the back door is still, broadly speaking…" he crouched down and lifted the door back up into the doorway, "Operational," he clapped his hands together and turned to them, "Right then, may I take your cases?"

"Thank you," Madge nodded, putting hers down.

"Thank you," her daughter added, doing the same.

"Thank you," Cyril as well.

"Lovely," he grinned, "Would you mind carrying them for me?" he asked as he stepped over them and walked towards the stairs, "I need to show you around."

"Oh no wait!" Madge called, stopping him halfway up the stairs, "Who _are_ you?"

He turned around, "I'm the caretaker."

"But you're not Mr. Cardew."

He nodded a moment, "…I agree."

"But then I don't understand. Are you the _new_ caretaker?"

"Usually called the Doctor," he started walking down the stairs with a grin, "Or the caretaker, or get off this planet, though strictly speaking that probably _isn't_ a name. Hello Madge Arwell," he smiled, shaking her hand, pleased to be able to actually _see_ her this time.

"…hello," she greeted slowly, shaking his hand as well.

"Cyril Arwell," he turned to Cyril, shaking his, and then the girl's, "And Lily Arwell," he smiled at her, thoughtful a moment, "Now what are we?" he asked, looking between her and Cyril, "14 and…9?"

Cyril shook his head, "Lily's 15," he told the man, "I'm 11!"

"Good, good," he nodded, "You know, I have a daughter a few years younger than you."

Madge blinked, surprised, "You've a daughter?"

"Yes," he beamed proudly, "She's actually around here somewhere with my…"

"Ayla!" they heard someone laugh.

One of the doors opened and a woman ran in, chasing a little girl, both of them dressed in simple, similar long sleeved, knee-length, button up dresses fitting for the period, with small black shoes, the woman's in red, the girl's in green, fitting for Christmas as well. The girl giggled as the woman managed to catch up to her, scooping her in her arms and spinning in a circle before setting the child down and tickling her sides. She looked up and noticed the family looking at them, the Doctor smiling softly at the pair of them. He just _couldn't_ keep the grin off his face to be honest, seeing the two of them, two of his girls, smiling and laughing, it made him _so happy_ , it meant he was doing his job right if they were so happy.

Angel straightened up a bit, her arms coming to lock around Ayla as she stood with her back pressed to her mother's front, her own little hands resting on the arms encircling her, "Hello," she smiled at the family, just a bit breathless from the run.

The Doctor shook his head at them and walked over, leaning over to look his daughter in the eyes, "Have you been giving mummy trouble, young lady?"

"No daddy!" Ayla shook her head vigorously, "We were exploring the unused rooms!"

He mock-pouted, "Exploring without me?" he asked her, feigning hurt.

Ayla's eyes widened in sadness, "I'm sorry daddy," she stepped out of her mother's arms and hugged the Doctor as he knelt down to hug her better, "Mummy and I only got through the first floor, we can still do the second floor rooms together."

The Doctor looked up at Angel, smiling at them, and grinned, pulling away, "Promise?" he held out a pinky.

Ayla nodded quickly, taking his pinky with one of hers, "Cross my hearts," she added, putting her two small fingers on either side of her chest and crossed them, much like her father tended to do.

"Well that's alright then," he nodded and looked up at Angel, "Anything interesting on the first floor?"

She smiled at him, "Never is, is there? Always has to be the basement, or the hidden basement, or the attic…"

"Or the dollhouse," he supplied.

"Or the dollhouse," she laughed, reaching out a hand to help him up. He gave dropped a kiss to her palm, before tugging her close to give her a soft kiss on the forehead as well, just smiling at her as she looked at him expectantly. But, seeing him making no move to introduce them to the family still watching them oddly, she cleared her throat, "Are those the Arwells?"

"Oh, yes, right," he spun on his heel and walked back over to them, Ayla jogging over to him to take his hand as she walked beside him, making him beam at her while Angel shook her head and followed after, "Madge, Lily, Cyril," he nodded at them, "Allow me to introduce my daughter Ayla…"

"Hello!" Ayla waved excitedly at the other children, who smiled at her in return.

"And my M…" Angel elbowed him gently, "My wife," he corrected himself, recalling humans often didn't understand the concept of what a Mate truly was, he...actually doubted even River (or the younger Rivers at least) knew what a Mate was either, which was odd as she seemed determined to BE his Mate and didn't know exactly WHAT that was. He knew that, for this day and age, to be unwed parents was not very well looked upon, so…he'd substituted the Mating for the closest Earth equivalent...not that there really was one that could rival a Mating.

"Angel," she reached out and shook Madge's hand, "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Madge smiled sadly ,seeing the small family before her, her heart giving a painful ping that they were all still alive while her husband…she shook her head fiercely.

"Now that that's all out of the way," the Doctor took Angel's hand and pulled her back, calling to the Arwells, "Come on, come on, lots to see," Ayla ran over to them, taking her mother's hand, "Whistles stop tour, take notes there will be questions."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little Angel-lite at first to sort of make up for the last couple chapters focusing on her ;) But I have to say, the last chapter of this episode had me dying of fluff overdose ;)
> 
> I'm really excited for this episode, we're going to see exactly what sort of woman this New Angel is ;) And I hope it'll be one that's as liked as her past selves :) I'm especially excited because there's children in the episodes and with Ayla there, well, I can't wait ^-^
> 
> ...anyone else think the boy in the Snowmen, Digby, might be 'Uncle Digby' from here? :)


	47. The Time Family, the Widow, and the Wardrobe: The Present

The Doctor threw open the doors to a brightly lit sitting room, sunlight streaming through the large windows, the curtains tacked to the side to allow as much sunlight as possible into the house. It really warmed up the room and made it feel homey, "Tour of sitting room," he remarked, "Just chairs, bit pointless without a television so…" he grinned down at Ayla and nudged her, she nodded and ran into the room, sitting on one of the chairs, grinning widely as she waited for her rather to reveal the big surprise, "I made some repairs, sort of a project if you will," he looked back at Angel, standing a bit behind the family in the hallway and she hit a switch.

The chairs started whizzing around, moving as though they were dancing, with Ayla giggling on top of one, sitting on one as it spun, the other children looking on in awe.

He grinned widely, "I know…"

"Dancing chairs," Angel laughed, "What will you think of next?" she wondered.

The Doctor just grinned, "I was _so_ hoping you'd ask that," he gave her a little smirk, before reaching out and snatching her hand, pulling her into the room and dancing with her in the middle of the chairs, not to any sort of music that the children or Madge could hear, but just...for fun. Angel laughed as he dipped her to the side, spinning her back up as Ayla hopped off her own chair and ran over to them. They took her hands and started dancing in the middle of the sitting room, the Arwells looking on. Though Angel fell back onto a rather long and plush sofa, unable to keep standing she was laughing so hard as the Doctor proceeded to teach Ayla the 'drunken giraffe' as Amy had dubbed the mad dance he'd shown the children at the Pond Wedding.

He really was such a TERRIBLE dancer at times.

~8~

The Doctor led them all through the kitchen, Angel and Ayla behind the family as he explained the room to them, "Kitchen! That's a cooker probably," he pointed to the side, "And these are taps," he tapped them each for good measure, "Hot, cold…lemonade."

"Lemonade?" Cyril asked, looking at the large tap that looked rather out of place by the sink. Instead of looking like a regular tap, it appeared to be more like a garden hose faucet than anything.

The Doctor just popped back around the corner he'd walked behind, "I know," he winked at Ayla, she had been the one to request it, she liked lemonade they'd found when they'd had lunch with Sarah Jane as they'd visited her. Which had made Sarah Jane remark that it was fitting, she always loved drinking lemonade in the summer, when it was warm and sunny and bright, which was just like Ayla and Angel. The Doctor had beamed at that, he really did love how similar Ayla was to her mother, because it just meant he really DID have two angels with him on his travels.

~8~

The Doctor placed a foot on the staircase in the main hall and let it fall back down it, "Staircase," he muttered, stopping with the others behind him, "Seems to have broken down," he pouted a moment before turning to them, "We'll have to walk up…"

"Can we hop up instead daddy?" Ayla asked, taking his hand.

He smiled down at her, "You know, I think that's a brilliant idea," he laughed, turning back to the stairs with her, the two of them hopping up them one at a time as Angel shook her head behind them, though watched them carefully to make sure they wouldn't trip or fall...she was starting to see the Doctor in Ayla more and more each day. And she rather enjoyed that, she knew, every time it was pointed out how like HER Ayla was, that the Doctor felt warm inside, it was the same for her when the opposite was pointed out, how Ayla was like him as well. Because she was THEIR child, not just hers, and she liked that her daughter had more of an adventurous spirit than she did as a child.

She would see more wonders of the Universe that way.

~8~

On the second floor, the Doctor pointed through an open doorway with a small set of stairs leading up it at the corner of the hall, "We sleep up there," he told the Arwells, "Stay away. Beware of panthers."

"Panthers?!" Madge gasped, not quite sure if he was being truthful about that, but...given his natural eccentricities...she wouldn't put it past him to really have panthers up there.

"They're terrifying. Have you never seen panthers?"

Cyril stopped to look up the steps, trying to spot the panthers, when Angel put a hand on his shoulder, "Cyril?" she asked and he looked up at her, she just smiled down at him.

"Come on!" Ayla giggled, grabbing his hand and pulling him after her father as Angel laughed behind them, following with Madge.

~8~

The Doctor opened the door to a _beautiful_ room decorated in light blues and golds, very mature, very tasteful, "Mum's room!" he cheered before sobering and pouting, "Grown up. Your basic _boring_ …" he moved to shut the doors when Angel pushed them open again, stepping through so that he couldn't close it again.

"This was _my_ project," she told Madge, holding the door open for the woman to step through and place her suitcase down.

"Thank you," Madge smiled at her, the room really was beautiful and she dreaded to think what it might be like if that odd man had had a hand in designing it.

"Yes, yes, more to see, more to see!" the Doctor called from the hallway.

Angel rolled her eyes at his impatience, but knew he was really just excited. The children's room was the room he was most looking forward to, not just because it was a room for children (and he was really like a large overgrown child at times) but because of who had helped him make it. She walked over to Madge and linked her arm with the woman's, leading her out.

~8~

The Doctor threw open the door to a wonderful children's room, full of all sorts of toys and decorations and displays and colors, just…majestic.

"Lily and Cyril's room!" he announced, walking into the room. The children looked around in shock at the number of toys scattered about, the jungle theme mixing with other themes, "I'm going to be honest, masterpiece, the _ultimate_ bedroom and…" he pointed at Ayla with a grin on his face, "Never could have done it without my girl eh?" Ayla fidgeted excitedly at her father's praise as her mother knelt down and hugged her from behind.

This room had been something of a father/daughter project. The combination of the Doctor's natural child-like delight and Ayla's authentic child's imagination had truly created an outstanding room. And it had been so touching to see the two bonding over it, something they both seemed to enjoy, creating things and shaping things and making things beautiful. Ayla had a natural touch, it seemed, for knowing just what sorts of games and things to put in the room to make it enjoyable for both Lily and Cyril, to make it a room custom fit for THEM. The Doctor was fairly certain it was a bit of Angel's psychic ability peeking through in their daughter, that she just KNEW what games to pick and where to put them. Angel though, was sure it was just because Ayla was a girl, like Lily, but a child like Cyril.

The Doctor clapped his hands and proceeded to run around the room, pointing out all the different things they had stocked it with, "A sciencey wiencey workbench, a jungle, a maze, a window disguised as a mirror, a mirror disguised as a window! Selection of torches for midnight feasts and secret readings. Zen garden, mysterious cupboard, zone of tranquility. Rubber wall, dream tank…"

"A dollhouse!" Ayla said excitedly, pulling Lily over to the small house that looked like the manor, "Do you like it?" she looked at Lily with a wide grin, beaming when the girl laughed and nodded, starting to take a closer look at the house.

"An exact model of the rest of the house," the Doctor nodded, joining them, "Not quite to scale, apologies," before turning and darting across the room once more, "Dolls with comical expressions, the Magna Carta…"

"A football!" Ayla added, picking it up and tossing it to Cyril who smiled and bounced it up and down a bit.

"Cludo, a yellow fort…"

"Where are the beds?" Cyril asked after a moment.

"Well, we couldn't fit _everything_ in, there had to be sacrifices. Anyway," he ran to the door, "Who needs beds when you've got…" and pulled a lever on the wall, lowering a pair of hammocks from the ceiling, "Hammocks!" he glanced at the stunned faces of the children, "I know."

Cyril walked over to the hammock and tried to get on, not faring very well, he was a bit too short to actually manage it, "But how do you get on?"

"Watch and learn kid," he called, motioning Cyril away. The boy backed up and the Doctor took a running leap at the beds…missing them completely and landing in between the two.

"For God's sake!" Madge cried exasperatedly.

The Doctor just popped up, "This hammock has developed a fault," he remarked before dropping down and rolling under it to pop up back on the other side, "Luckily you can still do this!" he sprung to his feet and reached out, scooping up Ayla, spinning her around as she laughed, and depositing her on the first hammock.

"That's the way to do it," Angel laughed.

"See!" he spun around, pointing at her excitedly for agreeing with him...and taking a moment to just...look at her as she stood leaning against the door frame, her arms crossed, with a fond smile and a soft look in her eyes, he felt his hearts skip a beat at that, "Ha ha!"

Unfortunately Madge wasn't quite so amused, "Can you please stop talking?!" she snapped, rubbing her head as the smiles on her children's faces started to fade, "Can you please just...stop?"

"Sorry," the Doctor said after a moment as Ayla frowned at the woman, kneeling on the hammock with her hand on the Doctor's arm for balance and so she wouldn't fall off.

"Children go downstairs."

"Why?" Lily asked.

"We leaving?" Cyril pouted a bit.

"Yes," Madge said quickly before sighing, "No. I don't know, just please…go down stairs!"

"You don't need to shout," Lily remarked as she and Cyril left.

Madge waited a few moments, till they had gone, before she looked over at the Doctor as Angel picked up Ayla from the hammock, setting her down, but holding her hand, watching as the Doctor wound his arm around the woman's shoulders and held back a flinch at the sight, knowing her own husband would never be able to do that with her again, "Why are you doing all this?"

"I'm just...trying to take care of things," the Doctor explained quietly, "I'm the caretaker."

"That's not what caretakers do."

"Then why are they called care-takers?"

Madge shook her head a bit, "They're father's dead."

The Doctor swallowed hard, hearing Ayla gasp in sadness, "I'm sorry."

"Lily and Cyril's father, my husband, is dead and they don't know yet because if I tell them now...then Christmas will always be what took their father away from them and _no one_ should have to live like that. Of course, when the Christmas period is over I shall…" she trailed off, tears filling her eyes as she whispered, "I don't know why I keep shouting at them."

"Because when you see them smiling and laughing, all you can think about is how sad they'll be later, once they know, you see the tears and the sorrow on their faces...and it breaks your heart," Angel said simply. Madge looked up at her, shocked, before getting the sense that the woman before her understood more than she was letting on.

"Mother come and see!" they could hear Lily call in the distance.

"Mother, you've got to see this!" Cyril joined in, "Come on!"

"And you can't help but wonder...what point is there for them to be happy _now_ , when they'll just be heartbroken later?" Angel continued.

"Mother!"

"Mother!" Lily tried again, "Are you coming?"

"I think the point is just that," Angel started to move towards her, "Because they _are_ going to be heartbroken and hurt and sad later, they need that happiness now more than ever," Madge looked at her as the Time Lady leaned forward and gave her a hug, "But one must always have faith that no matter how sad you get, something may happen to make you happy once more," she looked back over at the Doctor, standing there holding Ayla's hand, "Because it always does."

The Doctor gave her a smile for that, SO thankful that his Mate was so... _strong_. She hadn't run, she'd stayed, she'd faced sorrow and heartbreak at every turn and she just...kept fighting, kept standing, kept going. And now...he could see it, she was genuinely _happy_ for the first time in a LONG while, and that just...that alone made this the best Christmas in his eyes, and he was determined to see that it would continue to be a fantastic one. No dangers, no threats, no hurts, just...family being together and helping someone else.

"Now," the Doctor walked forward, Ayla following him, "We better get downstairs, I think they may have found the main sitting room."

"Mother!" Cyril called.

"I repaired it," the Doctor whispered to Madge as she eyed them a moment longer before walking out of the room.

The Doctor hesitated a moment, looking down before he felt someone take his hand. He squeezed Ayla's hand back when he felt someone else kiss his cheek. He looked over at Angel, who smiled at him, a look of reassurance in her eyes. He started to smile as well, her new smile was even more contagious than her last. He leaned in, resting his head to hers a moment, before letting it slide to her temple, moving more to nuzzle his nose to the side of her face, making her laugh at the sensation.

He could feel it reverberating in his mind, not just from his head pressed to hers but literally in his mind. Angel was...far more open with him than she had been, as true to her word that she would never hide anything as serious as her death date had been again. He couldn't help but smile, letting his eyes drift closed, at the feeling of it all. He _loved_ this, he loved her, he loved being so close to her, that she let him this close once more. Nearly 200 years he'd struggled and worked to get her to believe in him once more, and it had been worth it, SO worth it. She trusted him, she was open with him, and he felt just...amazed by her, by how much stronger their bond was now despite everyone's attempts to pull them apart.

They never ever would, he knew, they would _never_ pull him away from his family ever again, he wouldn't let them, not ever. That was what no one seemed to understand, no matter what they did, he and Angel would always be together, no matter what. And every push or pull that tried to separate them, only made them cling to each other more tightly. He took a breath, feeling it even now, even at the _thought_ of someone trying to come between his family, the Mating instinct rising in him, pushing him to protect not only is Mate but his child as well, pushing him to do whatever it took to see them safe, and should anyone dare to _harm_ them...

He opened his eyes, feeling a gentle hand on his face, and looked up to see Angel stroking his cheek with her thumb, and reached up, pressing her hand to his face more firmly, his own thumb running along the back of her hand. He started smiling, it never ceased to amaze him how much she could calm him with a look or a touch, though he did enjoy both, not as much as a kiss though.

He gave her an 'innocent' look when he saw her starting to smile, clearly having let that thought filter over to her on purpose. She gave him a small laugh, leaning in to kiss him gently, making him smile dazedly, looking at her with half-lidded eyes as he pulled away, "I will never tire of that," he whispered to her, giving her another peck.

"Come along love," she murmured softly, her own lips brushing against his own they were so close. She reached out, taking his other hand and leading him out of the room.

His smile grew wider as he looked at Ayla, gently pulling his hand from hers to place it on the top of her head, running it down her hair to her back and giving her a nudge and a nod, the girl beaming as she dashed along in front of her parents, eager to see the Arwells' reaction to their surprise.

~8~

The main sitting room was filled with streamers and ribbons surrounding a large Christmas tree decorated in baubles, ribbons, and other decorations. There were even toys jutting out of it, a small Santa on a rocket with a biplane on small poles sticking out of the top, spinning around as though flying around the tree. There was a large gift wrapped in TARDIS blue paper with a white bow sitting before the tree, a toy train chugging along around the bottom of the tree. This was the sight that Madge walked in on, her children standing before the tree, while the Doctor, Angel, and Ayla came to a stop behind her, standing in the main archway to the room.

The children looked back at the small family with awestruck looks, earning a smile from the Doctor, "I know."

"Look at that present!" Cyril shouted as he looked back at the box, walking over to it with Lily. He reached out and read the tag, "It's for me."

Lily peered at it as well, "It says to all of us."

"I'm youngest, I get to open it first."

"It doesn't say who it's from," Lily turned to her mother, "Mother, who left this here?"

Madge turned to see the Doctor walk out of the room with Ayla in his arms while Angel just smiled at her as they disappeared around the corner. She looked down and shook her head, "That man is quite ridiculous, you must stay away from him," the girls seemed normal enough.

"I like him," Lily defended.

"I like him too," Cyril agreed.

"And it's a nice tree," Lily looked back at it, "Isn't it?"

"It's the best tree in the world!"

Madge slowly walked in, eyeing the tree, "Yes," she put a hand on Cyril's shoulder for a moment, "Yes I suppose it is."

"Say it mother," Cyril pleaded, "Go on please, say the thing you always say."

Madge looked down, taking a deep breath before she turned to her children, "This Christmas is going to be the best Christmas ever!" she replied, hugging them tightly and kissing their foreheads, not even noticing the box start to glow and whisper behind her unlike her son, she was far too concerned with how she had just lied to her children.

How could this possibly be the best Christmas ever?

~8~

Out in the hallway, however, Angel smiled, having remained by the doorway while the Doctor and Ayla went to explore the unused second floor rooms as promised. She could tell how upset Madge was by all this. From what the Doctor had told her of the woman who helped him, she was very 'of the spirit' so to speak, and she seemed like a very kind woman. She knew it must be killing her to have to act so happy for her children when all she wanted to do was...have a good cry.

She could empathize entirely with that, with putting on a mask of happiness even when all you wanted to do was curl up in your bedroom, under your covers, and never come out. It was strange, to look back on that time in her life, when the Doctor had forgotten her. 200 years later and...it was starting to feel like a dream, well, a nightmare, but she knew it really happened. She'd been telling the truth, she didn't think she'd EVER forget what happened, but...she was coping better now. She was at peace with what happened in the past. She'd be a complete wreck when the Doctor next regenerated, she'd live in terror of that day and what he might or might not remember after it...but for the moment, during all the time he was still his current self, she was ok. No, she was _more_ than ok, she was... _happy_ , she had her Mate, her daughter, her family and the TARDIS, what more could she ask for?

Well, a good Christmas for one, but...it was actually shaping up to be a fairly good one.

And that was why she was smiling, even now, even understanding what Madge was going through, because, as equally as she knew the terrible things that had happened in the past...she knew, was quite certain, there was always, always, _always_ hope for the future.

"Yes," she whispered to herself, "It _will_ be."

~8~

That night, Lily and Cyril were lying in their hammocks, trying to sleep, when Cyril blinked and looked at his sister, "Lily!" he hissed in a whisper, "Lily! Can you sleep? Lily!"

"Shut up!" Lily said, not even opening her eyes.

"What do you think that present is? We could just sneak down and have a look…"

"Go to sleep!"

Cyril pouted and settled back in his hammock, looking up when he heard a faint whirring noise and electricity crackle above them before closing his eyes...just as Lily opened her own at the noise as well.

~8~

Madge, lying awake in her bed, the telegram spread out beside her, looked up at the strange noise coming from upstairs.

~8~

Lily slowly opened the door to the bedroom and stepped out, shutting it tight behind her. She glanced around quickly at the dark house before heading for the stairs down to the sitting room, fully intent to do as her brother suggested and sneak a peek at the present...when a very loud crackle resounded. She paused on the stairs and looked up at the door that led to the upper quarters the Caretaker had claimed was his family's. She glanced down the stairs once more before heading back up them and entering the doorway to the other stairs only a moment before the door to the bedroom opened once more and her brother crept out, heading quickly down the stairs with a torch in hand.

He quickly made his way to the tree, watching as the present glowed and voices whispered out to him like before.

~8~

Lily slowly opened the door to the upper bedroom, hearing someone speaking within, "Ayla's to bed," Angel was saying as she walked over to where the Doctor was sitting at a desk with a mess of wires before him, a small device with a green light in his hand whirring as he worked. Angel moved behind him, putting her hands on his shoulders as she leaned down to kiss his cheek, only for him to turn his head and catch her lips in a peck with a triumphant smile, before he lifted his other hand to cup her cheek, pulling her in for one more deep kiss that had Lily blushing and looking away. Angel smiled, resting her head to the Doctors before she straightened and began gently massaging his shoulders.

"You are an angel," the Doctor murmured, closing his eyes and letting his arms fall limp as he enjoyed the moment.

Angel smiled, "And you're a thief," she countered, before she blinked, "Hello Lily," she called, looking up at the girl hidden behind the door only after calling out.

Lily gasped a moment, seeing the two look over at the door before she took a breath and walked in, "You were lying about the panthers," she remarked, crossing her arms as she looked around at the large blue police telephone box beside them.

"Famous last words," the Doctor grinned...when the wires sparked, making him flinch.

"Why have you got a phone box in your room?"

He flinched at another wire spark before replying, "It's not a phone box it's our…wardrobe. We've just painted it to _look_ like a phone box."

"Well what are you doing?"

"Rewiring," Angel replied.

"Why would you rewire a wardrobe?"

"Have you seen the way I dress?" the Doctor asked her, earning a smile.

~8~

Cyril slowly made his way towards the present.

~8~

"Who are you?" Lily asked them, watching as Angel moved to sit on the corner of the desk, facing the Doctor as she reached out for other wires to help the Doctor, "Really who are you?"

Angel frowned a moment at a wire, not in confusion, no, these were wires for the TARDIS, she knew them better than she knew the strands of her own hair, but in...almost foreboding, there was a pit forming in her stomach again and she couldn't help but feel like it was something to do with Cyril. So she looked up at Lily, "Lily, where's your brother?"

The Doctor paused in his work as the wire in his hand started to beep a moment after she asked that.

"In bed, asleep," Lily replied quickly. Truthfully, he hadn't really been asleep she didn't think, but he was probably still in bed at least.

Angel smiled, "Come on," she stood, walking over to Lily, "Let's take a look shall we?"

Lily followed her out of the room, leaving the Doctor to inspect the wires with the sonic, so focused on them that he didn't even notice Ayla peek out of the TARDIS doors before she crept out, shutting the door behind her softly. She pause a moment, looking at her father's back, before quickly making her way around the box to hide behind it as the Doctor looked back at it, eyeing it before shaking his head and returning to work.

~8~

Cyril knelt before the box, reaching out to pull the bow open, then peel back the paper and open the cardboard box. He leaned back as a burst of cold air rushed past him, a scattering of snowflakes drifting up in the air around him. He looked into the box and crawled forward...only to see _a forest_ on the other side, covered in snow!

He crawled back out and looked up at the box in open-mouthed awe.

~8~

Lily slowly opened the door to the bedroom, peering in to see the blanket on Cyril's hammock pulled up over the boy's head before shutting the door. She looked back at Angel, who stood at the bottom of the stairs to her quarters a short distance down the hall and nodded, heading back to her.

~8~

Cyril looked over his shoulder at the entrance to the sitting room before turning to the box and crawling in again.

~8~

The Doctor looked up as Angel and Lily entered the room, "Still in bed, asleep," Lily confirmed.

"Ok," the Doctor nodded, glancing at Angel who had thrown a small frown at the TARDIS for a moment before she walked over to him, "Faulty then," he remarked, flashing the sonic at the wires once more, looking up when he felt Angel stand beside him, her hand resting on his shoulder and sliding across the top of his back to his other shoulder, leaning on him, but not looking at him...

~8~

Cyril made his way out of the box and into the forest, looking at a pine tree that had suddenly grown bauble-like silver spheres hanging from ice-like drops. He smiled, walking over to one and pulled it off, looking at it...when it suddenly grew in his hands. He dropped it with a gasp, watching as the bauble continued to grow bigger and bigger.

When a crack appeared on it he ran back to the box, jumping through it and into the sitting room to escape whatever it was that was making the bauble grow.

~8~

The Doctor watched as Angel cast _another_ worried look at the TARDIS, when the wires beeped again. He looked at them once more before turning to Lily, "You're _sure_ he's still in bed?"

Lily rolled her eyes, "Yes!" she sighed, exasperated.

The Doctor shook his head and got up to check himself, pausing only when he noticed Angel not following. He looked at her in confusion, "I'm going to check on Ayla," she replied, unable to help but feel like something wasn't quite right. And since it was Christmas she was even more wary and alert.

He nodded and nudged Lily out of the room so Angel could enter their 'wardrobe' with minimal questions. Angel waited only a moment after the door had shut before she walked over to the TARDIS doors. She looked at them questionably before entering.

A moment later...Ayla peered around the corner and dashed to the door of the room and down the stairs...

~8~

Cyril crawled back into the forest, looking around for the bauble, only to see it lying by the tree, cracked open like an egg, with footsteps leading away from it, very small footsteps, through the forest. He turned around, intent to get his torch, when he jumped back with a gasp at the person standing behind him in a light pink nightdress and a plush pink dressing gown over it, with little white bunny slippers.

"Cyril!" Ayla cheered, pleased to have found him.

"Oh…Ayla," he muttered, "You frightened me!"

She blinked, "Sorry."

He frowned, "What are you doing here?"

"I followed you silly," she smiled.

"And where _is_ here?" he had to ask, very confused.

"A forest," she said simply, "A forest in a box. A forest in a box in a sitting room."

He eyed her oddly a moment before shaking his head, she probably didn't know any more than he did, "I went to check the present, I just wanted a peek and there was this!" he gestured around him, "And the trees," he pointed to some of the other baubles still dangling there, "It grew these. And I plucked one and it grew! And then…did you see?" he pointed at the egg, "Did you see the egg? It hatched!"

Ayla knelt down in the snow and looked at it, before the footprints caught her gaze as well, "Where do they go?" she wondered.

"I don't know," he shrugged.

She grinned, jumping up to grab his hand, "Let's find out!" and tried to pull him on.

"Wait!" he called, tugging her back, "We need the torch!" he told her, dashing back to the box to get it.

~8~

The Doctor pushed open the bedroom door as Lily pushed her way beside him, "See," she whispered, pointing at the lump on Cyril's hammock.

He simply put a finger to his lips and snuck over to the hanging bed. He reached out and pulled the sheet down to see...teddy bears lying there in the shape and size of a little boy, "Oh, he's good," he remarked, "The old bear in duvet trick eh?" he turned and ran out of the room, Lily following him.

~8~

Angel stepped out of the TARDIS, her hearts starting to race as she took a breath, trying to calm herself. Ayla wasn't in her room. She'd checked the monitor to scan for her, Ayla wasn't anywhere in the TARDIS either. She swallowed hard and looked around the attic room before heading off, something inside her told her Ayla was still in the manor, but she really would rather SEE her daughter than feel it. And so she rushed out of the room, intent to find her.

~8~

The Doctor and Lily ran down the stairs and into the main sitting room, only to see Cyril reach his hand out of the box to grab the torch lying before it.

"Cyril!" the Doctor shouted as they ran towards the box.

"What's happening?" Lily asked as the Doctor proceeded to crawl into the box after the boy, "I don't…" and then her eyes widened catching a glimpse of what lay beyond the box, "What _is_ that?!"

"With me," he called, reaching out a hand to her from inside the box, "Quickly!" he grabbed her hand, "Come on!" and pulled her in, hopping out of the box and turning to lift her down to the forest floor, "In you come," he shivered a bit as he put her down, "Bit cold, never mind, Cyril!" he turned around, trying to find him, "Cyril!"

Lily looked around in wonder as the Doctor found the egg, crouching down to look at it with his own torch, "Where are we?" Lily breathed.

"In a forest, in a box, in a sitting room," he glanced at her, "Pay attention. He's about 20 minute ahead of us…" he stood up.

"But we _just_ saw him…"

He shook his head and ran through the trees, "Time moves differently across the dimensional planes," before jumping through the trees, back before her, "What do they _teach_ you in schools these days?"

Lily rushed after him as he wandered through the trees, "But…I don't understand where we are!"

"Well," he turned to her, "We've gone through a dimensional portal…thingy…"

"Well what's that supposed to be? Where did it come from?"

"It was a present and it wasn't supposed to be opened until Christmas Day. Honestly, who opens their Christmas presents early?" Lily just stared at him, "Oh shut up, everyone," he turned and continued on, Lily hesitating only a moment when she heard a faint whispering through the trees...

~8~

Angel let out a trembling breath as she looked through the last room of the manor…Ayla was nowhere to be found. She knew she could probably sense where her daughter had gone and teleport there, but...she was a bit too frightened and panicked to really think of that. All she could think of was how they hadn't been able to find her before and she couldn't find her now and what if the Silence had gotten her!?

...which was ridiculous as the Silence thought they were all dead, but still! Her daughter was missing, being frantic was perfectly normal. Psychics couldn't see everything, what if she'd missed something and Ayla was in trouble because of it!?

She pressed herself against the wall and closed her eyes, ' _Theta!_ '

~8~

"Do you think we're in Narnia?" Ayla wondered as she and Cyril followed the footsteps through the trees, "Do you think we'll meet Aslan?!"

"Narnia?" Cyril looked at her, "What's that? And who's Aslan?"

Ayla blinked, "What year is it again?"

"...1941," he blinked, not sure how she didn't know the year.

Ayla blushed a bit, giggling embarrassedly, "Never mind."

She'd gotten a little too excited, the books that her father had read her as bedtime stories the last few nights hadn't been written yet. If it was 1941, then it was a little less than 10 years too early, they hadn't been published! Well, now she understood her father's habit of inventing things before they were meant to be. It was just SO exciting! You just wanted to talk about something or use something and it wasn't there yet, so...if you could make it...why not? She didn't think her daddy would write the Narnia books though, he was more of a history person.

She had hoped, though, that maybe this was a portal to another dimension! Where Narnia was real and she could meet Aslan, she really wanted to meet him one day, even if he was a character in a book, and give him a hug. Her parents hadn't told her what was in the box, just that it was a surprise for her and the other children to enjoy. She was really eager to see where the footsteps went and where they were.

Even if it wasn't Narnia, it was still beautiful.

~8~

"I don't understand, is this place real?" Lily asked as she followed the Doctor, "Or is it Fairyland?"

"Fairyland?" the Doctor scoffed, "Oh grow up Lily! Fairyland looks completely different, which reminds me," the Doctor knelt down on the ground and pointed the light on the footprints he'd spotted in the snow, "That would be a wonderful place to take Ayla for her birthday..." he trailed off a bit, focusing on the prints, "Now. These are Cyril's footprints," he flashed the light on them, moving to a larger set, "And these…"

"Wait a minute," Lily frowned, "What are those?" she pointed to a small set mixed in with Cyril's.

The Doctor froze, staring at the small set of footprints, so light he almost missed them when…

' _Theta!_ ' he heard Angel call in his mind.

' _Nella?_ ' he looked up, alarmed, a sense of dread filling him as he heard the fear in her voice, ' _What is it?_ '

' _I can't find Ayla,_ ' she replied, ' _She wasn't in the TARDIS. I keep feeling that she's in the manor, but I can't find her._ '

The Doctor stood up and looked around at the forest that was still technically _in_ the manor and then back down at the second set of child's prints, ' _She's gone into the forest with Cyril,_ ' he whispered, tensing at that realization. It should be safe, it should be very safe, but...given all they'd gone through to get Ayla back they didn't like her being ANYWHERE without them.

He could almost feel Angel's fear as well at that thought, ' _I'm on my way,_ ' she called.

He nodded to himself when Lily spoke again, "Why are those other prints getting bigger?"

He swallowed hard, "Cyril and Ayla are following something," he told her, "And it's growing."

Lily's eyes widened, "Well then we have to get after them!" she ran off through the trees, hitting one as she passed, knocking the snow off. She glanced back...only to stop short, seeing the silver baubles grow out of the icy drops.

"It's ok, you're fine," the Doctor told her, walking over, "Don't worry."

"Is that tree alive?"

"Of course it's alive it's a tree."

"But is it dangerous?"

"Every rose has its thorns," he remarked with a shrug.

He was trying not to be very concerned, this was a very safe planet, one of the safest in fact. While he was not thrilled that his daughter had wandered off on her own, at least she was with Cyril and they had a trail to follow. If he and Angel could find her though time and space, then he could most certainly find her in a forest…and then she was going to get a stern talking to when this was over about the dangers of wandering off.

Lily reached out to one of the baubles, leaning over to look at it as the Doctor did the same, "They're like...Christmas tree decorations."

He grinned a bit, "Yeah! Naturally occurring Christmas trees," he inhaled the tip of a tree branch deeply, pressing his nose to the end of the branch, "Oh how cool is that!"

"I don't understand."

"It's a big Universe," he stood up and looked around, "Everything happens somewhere," he walked past her, "Call it a coincidence, call it an idea echoing among the stars. Personally I call it a brilliant idea for a Christmas trip or it…should have been…" he trailed off, a frown making its way onto his face as he listed to the whispering on the winds, "Do you know the difference between wind and trees talking to each other."

"What?"

He licked one finger and held it up in the air for a feel while pressing his other finger to his lips, "No wind."

That was NOT good at all.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Ayla, don't wander off! Lol, but still, could you imagine Cyril and Ayla wandering a snowy forest? :) She's definitely her father's daughter too ;) And fluff! We had more fluff :) Yay! I'm really excited for the rest of this episode ;)
> 
> I can say...Aslan will actually appear in some form in this episode ;) But maybe not in the way you expect :)


	48. The Time Family, the Widow, and the Wardrobe: The Forest

The Doctor swallowed hard, growing nervous, starting to feel very...not right about this. He wasn't sure if it was the centuries with Angel rubbing off on him...which would mean Ayla was likely in danger...or if it was just his own paternal instincts kicking in after so long...which would also mean Ayla was in danger. So, either way, this was so very very NOT good.

"I've been here many times but I've never heard the trees so active, something's wrong…" he turned around, listening, trying to hear the whispers clearer, trying to understand what the trees were trying to tell him and wishing Angel was there so that she could help him work it out. Even if she didn't understand what they were saying, she'd understand the warning behind it, he was sure, "What are you dong? what are you up to?" he leaned down to look at one of the baubles only to jump back when his reflection momentarily became a sort of wooden man with a crown on, "I'm sorry Lily, I really am," he started to reach back to Lily to take his hand as he pulled out his torch, "But there is something very wrong in this forest," he turned around, pulling her along at a faster pace, "And your brother and my daughter are right in the middle of it."

And he was NOT going to let that happen, he would find his daughter and get her back to safety if it was the last thing he did.

~8~

"Lily and Cyril Arwell!" Madge shouted as she walked down the stairs and over to the sitting room.

She'd gone to check on her children, unable to really sleep between her own agonized thoughts and the noises from upstairs, she'd worried also that they might have trouble sleeping in such a new setting, such an old house. She was sure Lily would have told Cyril a ghost story or two to frighten him and then Cyril would end up keeping Lily awake and bother her. She was going to invite them to sleep in her room for the night, she...didn't want to be alone either, because tomorrow would be Christmas, the holiday they cherished in their house as much as their children's birthdays. But when she'd gone to check...they were gone! She had a sneaking suspicion though as to where they'd gone, Cyril LOVED peeking at his presents so she'd thought they might be down there...

"Where are you!?" she stopped short, seeing the box open with a soft white glow coming from it. Ok, THAT was not something she was expecting to see.

"The same place my Mate and daughter are," Angel said, walking past her from another room, still dressed in her red outfit, "Come along Madge!" she called, walking straight over to the box and crawling right through it, not even hesitating as she went, no, why would she? Her Mate and daughter were in there, she would never hesitate in being with them, "Grab a coat first!" she called back over her shoulder.

~8~

Cyril and Ayla stood before a high tower in the middle of the forest, a large sphere made of white geometric triangles sitting atop it from what looked glass. Ayla blinked and looked back at the trees, tilting her head as she saw what looked like a wind drift past them, moving the branches, and smiled. She could just tell that both her father and mother were on their way. She knew she had a vague mental link to her parents, but it was stronger the closer they were, if she was on the other side of the forest, they wouldn't be able to hear her till they were closer.

But that was ok, she knew they were there, they were coming to find her, they always came to find her. When she had been taken from her mummy, she knew that they would look for her, the pirate lady wouldn't have kept moving her around so much if she thought they were safe. And when she'd been able to escape, she'd tried to get as far away from her as she could, so her parents could find her without worrying that it was a trap or that the lady was watching them. It had been 6 months on her own, with very nice people giving her a dollar here and there for food and, even though she was on her own, she KNEW that her parents would find her soon, she just had to get far enough away for them to be able to do it.

And she had, and they'd found her! They had had to go 200 years without knowing if she was alright, where she was, and in all that time they never stopped looking, through the whole Universe! Which was a very big place according to the TARDIS, the box liked to tell her about the stars and planets she'd been to when she'd play on the swing (though her daddy called it a hanging harness) under the console's floor. But the Universe was really big and her parents never stopped, why would they now in a simple forest?

~8~

Madge wandered timidly through the forest, her coat on, a torch in her hand, as she followed Angel who was simply striding through the snowy woods, barely pausing to look around, almost as though she knew _exactly_ where to go. She had no idea if the woman did but...the way she was going, the sure direction, it made her feel like perhaps she DID know, and if she did, well, that would just get them both to their children faster wouldn't it?

Angel sighed as she walked, she would have loved to teleport to Ayla, she could feel where her daughter was now that she was in the forest with her, but...Madge didn't know they were aliens at that point and, she was very sure that, once it hit her that they were in some other world, on an alien planet, that the woman would severely freak out and she didn't want to set off tears. She was sure, if they kept up pace, that they would reach Ayla and Cyril with plenty of time to spare.

She paused, blinking. Plenty of time to spare? She swallowed hard, hoping that was just a...thought...and not one of her sensations slipping through. She seemed to have better control of them but some things did get to her before she realized them. She hoped this wasn't one of them.

~8~

Ayla looked over at Cyril as he began to walk towards the tower and quickly followed him as he pushed the door open so they could enter. He held up his light, looking around at the tower before them, a staircase twisting around the length of the walls, winding around the edge of the circular room. He moved the light across from them and they both jumped back with a gasp, seeing a large wooden man with a beard and crown sitting before them on a chair.

Ayla tilted her head, eyeing the wooden man curiously for a moment before her gaze drifted to the stairs, "Come on," she tugged on Cyril's arm, leading him to the staircase.

As they headed up, neither noticed the wooden man blink and turn his head to watch them go.

~8~

"Why would you bring us to this place?" Lily asked as they rushed through the forest, the Doctor's gaze firmly locked on the footsteps, not about to lose focus now, not when the prints would lead them to Ayla, and Cyril.

"Well it was supposed to be a treat," he replied, "This is one of the _safest_ planets I know. There's never anything dangerous here!" they stopped suddenly as there was a large thump that shook the ground. Lily looked at him pointedly as he swallowed, "There are sentences I should just keep away from. Come on!" he was now nearing a run as he could tell, clearly, they were likely now _all_ in danger.

~8~

Ayla and Cyril walked up the stairs, both stopping when they felt the thump as well.

Cyril moved to a large window beside them and looked out at the forest, Ayla moving onto her tiptoes to glance over the edge of the window. They could see something like a search light shining in the distance near the tops of the trees.

~8~

Angel and Madge walked quickly through the trees when Madge stopped suddenly, turning to her right when she felt a thump sound from there.

"Madge," Angel called, a few feet ahead of her.

Madge turned to her and moved to catch up...when another thump happened to her left. She shook her head, taking a breath and reaching Angel, the two continuing on...when Angel suddenly pulled her back moments before a large metal cylinder-like leg landed in front of her, where she would have been standing. They looked up as a bright light shined down on them, blinding them.

"This tree farm is private property. You are trespassing," a voice informed them though a speaker.

Suddenly the cylinder before them opened and three people in thick yellow armor ran out with their guns aimed at them. Madge quickly held her hands up in surrender while Angel just eyed the people closely, as though sensing no immediate danger despite the weapons, and even if she did...she couldn't bring up the Vortex or they'd think it was an attack and fire. She tensed though, preparing just in case they accidently shot at them, that way she and Madge would still be protected.

One of the soldiers ran up to them, scanning them both with a red device before stepping back to the other two, lifting his visor to reveal a middle-aged man with a black beard, "Unarmed, sir."

"What the hell are you doing here?" a second man, standing in the middle of the two, demanded of them.

"No wait!" the first man shouted, "Armed! No…unarmed," the second man, a slightly old man with a grey beard lifted his visor as well to shoot the first man a look, "Sorry, sir. They're wearing wool, sir. The natural fabrics they interfere with the…"

"Please say we can tell the difference between wool and _sidearms_."

"We can tell the difference sir."

The older man looked at him again, "...can we?"

"Not always, sir, no," he said as the third person, a woman with brown hair, opened her own visor to give him both an exasperated look of her own.

The second man turned back to them with his gun, "What are you doing here? And do you understand what is about to happen in this forest?"

"I was just…" Madge stumbled on her words, frightened with all the guns aimed at her and the strange land she'd found herself in and her children being missing and just...what was happening?!

"Sir," the woman called, having scanned them with her own device, "I think they're time travelers."

Angel stiffened and looked at her, a cross between amused that the woman knew it from a scan and slightly worried about what that could mean.

"And we're sure it's not their cardigans?" the second man asked sarcastically as the woman rolled her eyes.

"Well who _are_ you?" Madge called her voice starting to break, "It was _Christmas_ …" she moaned as she started to cry, Angel quickly putting an arm around her to try and calm the woman down.

~8~

Cyril took the lead, climbing the stairs, and, ever the gentleman, used the light of the torch to guide their way. He paused as they reached a door at the top of the stairs and glanced at Ayla, "What do you think?"

She eyed it a moment, she knew what her mother would say, to be careful, to wait for them, to make sure nothing was dangerous on the other side. But, equally, she knew what her father would say, you can never resist a door, so she shrugged, "We've come this far."

And she was curious! She loved doors, there were so many things that could be behind them and you never knew what it was till you opened them! There were some bad things behind doors yes, but...look at the TARDIS! It was such a small box, so ordinary, but you opened the doors and it was magic inside! She loved exploring the rooms of the houses and seeing what was in them, wondering what the different objects were used for and what they might mean to someone. She liked that, she liked finding new things and looking at old things in a new way. She could tell her father loved it as well, he liked seeing things from a new perspective, something she knew her mother offered him all the time, something she knew she could offer as well.

Cyril nodded and they continued on, entering the room, glancing back when the door closed behind them all on its own.

~8~

"It's just irresponsible!" Lily continued to berate the Doctor as he rushed on, "How can you do this to my brother?! To your daughter!"

"Well Ayla should know better, don't wander off, my most important rule, no wandering. No one EVER listens…" and given that she was HIS daughter, he really...should have expected that, "And besides, it was meant to be a supervised trip."

"What do the future?"

"The future, yes."

"The future on a different planet?"

"Oh yes, very different."

"Where Christmas trees just happen?"

"Well, _sort of_ Christmas trees, they're not _really_ Christmas trees…"

~8~

Cyril and Ayla walked further into the top room of the tower, pausing when they spotted another wooden statue standing before a large chair. As they drew closer they could see that this statue was a woman, a queen it appeared, in a very pretty dress Ayla thought, wearing a crown and holding a ring of metal in her hand as though to crown whoever sat on the throne-like chair. Ayla walked over to the window, one that was clear glass, before the throne much like the single clear pane directly behind it on the opposite side of the room and peered out of it, it being low enough where she didn't have to tiptoe to see over the edge. Cyril stepped beside her, the two looking out at the forest from above.

Behind them the Queen blinked and tilted her head down to look at them.

~8~

The Doctor and Lily ran through the forest, reaching the very same tower that the children had entered. The Doctor skid to a stop, his gaze moving from the prints that led up to it, to the tower itself, "Oh, look at that!" he breathed for only a moment before he caught sight of two small figures looking out the window in the sphere at the top, Ayla and Cyril, and ran to the tower, not even saying another word.

' _Angel!_ ' he shouted in his mind, having sensed her the moment she entered the forest.

' _Have you found her?_ ' was Angel's immediate response.

He nodded to himself though she couldn't see, ' _Yes, she's in a tower in the middle of the forest,_ ' he started to chuckle a bit, ' _A princess in a tower._ '

' _And with no dragon for you to fight,_ ' Angel remarked and he could feel a reassurance and relief trickle over to him from her, now that they knew exactly where Ayla was, now that one of them was within arms reach of it, they both knew, without a doubt, that things would be ok, that Ayla would be safe again.

' _Yes,_ ' he nodded, ' _I suppose I'll have to save my suit of armor for the next trip._ '

' _You're wearing it now,_ ' Angel told him, before sensing his confusion and adding, ' _The bowtie is quite the disarming weapon,_ ' she laughed.

He started to smile, shaking his head, ' _Are you alright?_ '

' _Madge and I are just fine, we ran into three other humans though,_ ' she reassured him and he could sense she was being truthful, whatever the case was or whoever the other humans were, he'd have felt her alarm or distress if she had been in danger too. At the moment she didn't feel she was in danger, and that was enough reassurance for him to focus on getting to Ayla.

' _I'm heading into the tower now,_ ' he warned her.

' _Be careful, my love._ '

He positively beamed as he heard her say that in his mind, only being pulled back to the present when Lily shouted, "What, are we going in?"

"Well Ayla and Cyril did!" he shouted, sonicing the door to open it, running in, Lily behind him. He paused, seeing the wooden man sitting there, glancing at the prints that walked up to it a moment, "Interesting…"

"What's that?" Lily pointed to it, walking over to it as the Doctor looked around, making sure there were no other doors or paths that the footprints might be leading to, only seeing them heading for the stairs, "That statue, what is it? It's like a king."

"A king possibly," the Doctor turned the light on the king, "But not a statue," he pointed down to the floor where the larger footprints stopped just before the king, turning around to where the king's feet were now, the thing having sat down, "Oh, look at the floor…this is what they were following, the growing thing. Hatched from the bauble on a tree, grew to this size in…" he checked his watch, "Less than an hour I'd say," he whistled, "Impressive. And so is this building," he walked over to the walls, trying to learn as much as he could about the structure, how safe it was, wanting to know every detail of it so that he wouldn't end up running into any traps when they went up the stairs, "Yes, grown see. This building, it isn't a building, it's a group of trees grown in the shape of a building. Disguised as a building. Oh…clever. I love clever. Clever old forest…" he looked up, "So a forest grows a building, why would it do that Lily?"

"I don't know."

"Why is there honey in a honey trap?"

"Because it's a trap."

"Exactly," he nodded, "Thing about people, we can never resist a door…"

"So this is a trap. We've just walked straight into a _trap_?!"

"A people trap. Question is…why does a forest need people?" he looked at the statue.

"We should go. We have to get out of here."

"Except…" he held up a finger.

"Except Cyril's here," she realized.

"And Ayla," he nodded, reaching back to take her hand, "So let's find them," he looked up before heading to the stairs, trying to be quiet as they made their way up.

~8~

Madge stood, shaking in Angel's arms, as she wept, "Ma'am, please stop crying," the older man pleaded, "I can't interrogate you while you're crying. This is a military engagement, there's no crying in military engagements…" suddenly the man beside him started to cry as well, "Corporal Ven-Garr are you…"

"I'm fine sir," Ven-Garr replied.

"What is _wrong_ with you?"

"I have mother issues sir. It's all on file, it won't affect the performance of my duties."

"Um sir, with regret, I'm going to have to lower my gun," the woman informed the man who was clearly the captain.

"Why?" he looked at her.

"She is a crying, unarmed, female civilian," she replied as Madge wiped her eyes with a hanky Angel had pulled from her dress pocket, rubbing the woman's back to help her calm down, "And the other one is an unarmed, female civilian. I'm thinking of the visual."

"Nobody's looking."

"Doesn't mean there's no visual."

"That's _exactly_ what 'nobody's looking' means. It means there's no visual!"

Angel eyed them both oddly, they weren't very...professional, were they? No, not professional, experienced? Perhaps that was the better word. They were standing there, with guns, bickering amongst themselves, one man crying, one woman refusing to follow orders, and the captain just not really making any sort of sense at all. It was like...sending a punishment platoon out to face an army of Cybermen! It was just utterly ridiculous and, really...she couldn't help but glance at the trees, she could hear them whispering, about Cyril and Ayla, about the Doctor. She knew they were all safe, in the tower, but...she wanted to be with them, make sure they were truly alright and safe.

Ven-Garr sobbed before sucking it up, "I'm sorry sir. It's under control," he readied his gun and Angel quickly pulled Madge back behind her, much like the Doctor always did to her, "Do you want me to shoot them sir?"

Madge screamed and held up her hands while Angel just frowned, eyeing the man. She got the feeling that he wasn't going to really fire at them, but...he was a rather odd man, he was just all over the place with his emotions, one moment serious then crying then ready to shoot.

"This visual's deteriorating sir!" the woman gestured to them, to Madge as she flinched at the sounds of shouting.

"Shut up!" the man shouted but the woman just put down her gun, "What are you _doing_?"

"I am respecting them as women sir."

"Ok," he rolled his eyes, "We're putting our guns on the ground," he and Ven-Garr did so, "Ok? Happy now? We're stepping away from our guns," and they did that as well, "Now can we interrogate you?" Madge glanced at Angel before nodding just a bit, stepping beside the woman, "We're from Androzani Major. The year is 5345 and we mean you no harm. Where are you from?"

Angel remained silent, not really having a precise answer for them, she'd attempted lying to Jack, it had been a test of his since every incarnation of her that he'd known had been rubbish at it, and it turned out...she STILL was. And she still didn't have any freckles either, which had made her pout to discover. But she could cook this time! Actual normal food instead of the random concoctions she'd been making before. She'd realized...it wasn't the pregnancy that had made her crave such odd foods like pickles and jam, it really was just her natural taste in food. But! She'd succeeded in making a few 'normal' foods, like pancakes and sandwiches and things, she was VERY proud of herself for it, though the Doctor seemed slightly upset that he wouldn't get to teach her how to cook anymore. But she'd just smiled and told him that it didn't mean they still couldn't cook together.

To which Jack had teased that they better be just _cooking_ in the kitchen, instead of cooking up another Time Baby. Ayla had looked at them adorably and asked where babies came from for that...which had made the Doctor rather flustered and he'd started to talk about different ways that children could come around...via cloning, like Sontarans or Jenny or other means. NOT the actual way. It had surprised everyone though when, after Jack had made that comment, _she_ had countered with asking Jack when he would cook himself up enough courage to propose to Ianto. Which had made Jack blush and sputter and everyone laugh. It seemed she was a little bit of a teasing person this time. Which was nice, she felt like her last self didn't really get to tease much.

She blinked, realizing her mind had wandered quite a bit away from her original thoughts, she was a rubbish liar even still. Jack had asked her to lie to him, so she'd said that a Vortex Manipulator was better than a TARDIS...but apparently it came out as more of a question than anything, which meant she still couldn't quite manage that. And that was fine, that wasn't a lesson she wanted to teach Ayla, that lying was alright.

...and the Doctor lied enough for the both of them too.

She really wasn't sure what the trio's reaction would be if she lied to them now about where she was from. To be quite honest, if she lied and said some random planet, they'd tell she was lying. If she said Gallifrey, if they even knew what the planet was, they'd believe she was lying anyway. There was really no way to win in that situation.

Luckily though, Madge took care of that, "England," she answered, "1941," before pulling out a revolver from her coat pocket, "And there's a war on."

Angel could only shake her head at that, "What is it with humans and guns?" she wondered out loud softly, though far too quietly for any of them to hear.

She'd also found that, having been shot by someone...she really was FAR less a fan of weapons than she normally was. She didn't like them at all, not for a moment. Which was why it was a tiny bit hard to reconcile the Vortex within her. She had all that power, and it could be very, VERY destructive if unleashed, if used for that purpose, but it could also be used to defend and protect. And it was trying to attempt thinking of it like that. Because weapons were deadly, they could be used with the intent to harm or the intent to defend, just like the Vortex, which had left her comparing the differences between the Vortex power and a weapon.

And then she'd realized, as she'd healed Mickey's hand that...the Vortex could be used for a third purpose, to heal. Which made it 2 parts good and 1 part bad, so the scales really were more in favor of it being a force of good than evil. And, having told that to the Doctor...had made him laugh heartily and remind her it was all about intent. And she had the purest intentions he'd ever seen.

"Oh," Madge smiled, pulling Angel's attention back, "Crying's ever so useful, isn't it?"

"If you say so," the captain remarked, "But there's nothing you could say that would convince me you'd ever _use_ that gun."

"I can think of one thing," Angel spoke, louder this time, knowing _exactly_ what could, "We're looking for our children."

The man's eyes widened in alarm.

Mothers on a mission...there was absolutely NOTHING more terrifying than that in all the Universe.

~8~

The Doctor and Lily reached the door near the top of the tower, "Ayla!" the Doctor shouted as he handed the light to Lily, pulling out the sonic to use on the door, "Cyril! Can you hear me?"

~8~

Cyril and Ayla turned at the sound of his voice coming through the door, only to see the statue had moved and was standing right behind them! The crown in her hands was glowing, making Ayla frown at it, it didn't feel normal.

"Ayla? Cyril? Can you hear me?"

"Daddy!" Ayla yelled as Cyril pulled her around the queen's side, backing them away from her, trying to get them both to the door...not noticing the chair was behind them.

~8~

The Doctor looked up, feeling his hearts stop at hearing Ayla calling for him from inside, and frantically flashed the sonic on the lock...when it beeped, "Oh, of course it's wood!" he turned to Lily, "It's rubbish at wood!"

"It doesn't look like wood," Lilly eyed the metal-looking lock.

"It's _disguised_ wood. Have you been listening?!" he turned back to the door, trying it again, sorry to shout at her but...he was starting to get nervous now, locked doors were rarely ever good and now his daughter was trapped on the other side of one!

"How can trees grow into a building?"

"Oh never underestimate a tree, Lily," he walked past her, trying to move the sonic onto some sort of setting that might work, needing to get into that room, but...trying to ramble, to just talk to distract himself, "I met the forest of Cheem once who fancied me," he checked the sonic again, desperate to get it to work, "Trees," he murmured, "Nothing compared to angels."

~8~

Cyril pushed Ayla behind him to protect her as the Queen approached them, backing them up more to the chair.

Cyril swallowed, feeling Ayla starting to tense behind him and knew she must be scared, and he knew what he had to do, what his father would have done if his mother or Lily was in trouble, he'd protect her.

"Run," he whispered to Ayla, nudging her to the door.

~8~

"Look at that…" Lily called, her gaze locked on the window beside her.

"Busy actually," he muttered, still fiddling with the sonic, "Yes, I know, it's wood, get over it!" this was REALLY frustrating! He really did have to sit down one day and work on a setting for wood.

"There are stars. There are stars coming out."

"Yes, that _does_ happen Lily," he ran to the door again, pounding on it, "Ayla! Cyril!"

"Yes, but out of the _trees_!"

THAT got his attention. He'd dealt with enough 'stars' in his life to know that not all of them were benevolent, some were down right murderous at times. He looked back at Lily and moved back to the window, needing to see what sort of stars they were, see if he could determine how 'kind' them might be or even what they were. He needed to know what might be coming for his family now that they were surrounded by trees releasing stars apparently. He peered out of the window to see what looked like millions of stars floating just above the trees, and frowned, squinting at them, not quite sure what they were...so he flashed the sonic at them, not willing to take a chance and be wrong.

"What is that?" Lily asked him.

He looked at the sonic as it beeped with the results, "Life force," he let out a breath of relief, "Pure life force," and then he smiled, seeing that there was a resonance of them, they were emitting a frequency of some sort but not one that would be detrimental to anyone, it was quite like they were..., "Just…singing."

"Beautiful," Lily smiled at the sight, "Doesn't it make you want to cry?"

"Crying when you're happy. Good for you," he put his hand on her shoulder a moment, "That's so human," there was a sudden whoosh and a golden light blazed from under the door.

"Daddy!" they could hear Ayla shout, before small fists started to bang against the door, making the Doctor spin around and rush over to it.

"What's that?!" Lily gasped, "What is it?" she ran to the door as well, "Tell me what!"

"Ayla!" the Doctor called, trying to shove the door open with his shoulder this time, his hearts beating madly at the sound of his daughter screaming for him, "Ayla!"

~8~

Ayla glanced back to see the Queen crown Cyril as he sat on the throne...

~8~

At the bottom of the tower, the King blinked and stood, creaking, the noise reaching the Doctor and Lily above as he started walking to the stairs with thumps.

"Oh my God," Lily breathed, creeping forward and peering over the side of the railing to see the statue moving, the Doctor ignoring it to focus on the door, _needing_ to get in there, "Oh my God…"

~8~

Madge and Angel stood inside a large cockpit-like area that controlled the monstrous machine that had been walking through the forest, the machine that had nearly crushed them only moments ago. It was essentially a spacious room with three legs. Madge looked all around at the high-tech gadgetry, the gun still in hand, while the woman tied up the men, Angel standing before the large window, her arms crossed, staring out it, able to see the top of the tower from there.

"What is all this?" Madge asked them, "Is this some sort of cockpit? My husband's a pilot."

"It drives the platform," the woman remarked, turning to her.

"I don't understand. How did we get here?"

"You tell us ma'am."

"We're just looking for our children!"

"There's nobody else in this forest, there can't be," Ven-Garr replied.

"Well they found a way in, maybe their kids did too," the woman shrugged.

"Then God help them," the captain remarked.

"Why do you say that?" Madge turned to him.

Angel looked down a moment…

'… _this forest is about to be harvested_ …'

'… _Androzani trees_ …'

'… _acid rain. The satellites are in position. Anyone still out there in 5 minutes is going to burn_ …'

She let out a breath, this was not good at all. Really, what was it about Christmas that always seemed to bring events like this? It was supposed to be a peaceful time of the year, complete with family and love and celebrating unity and...every time they just ended up in dangerous situations. She was starting to wonder if ALL Christmases were like this. She'd heard of the holiday, yes, but she'd never really been a part of it till she'd met the Doctor, and then there were Pilot Fish and Sycorax, then Racnoss, then replica _Titanics_ crashing, then Cybermen and the Master, then the last one with the companions in danger and killer flying sharks and just a big old mess. She and the Doctor, now that she thought about it, hadn't really set down on Christmas during their 200 year search, this was...the first Christmas they were having in nearly 200 years and...that was a little sad, but also special because it was the first one with Ayla.

And now there was the threat of acid rain to deal with.

"We can do a scan for life forms," the woman assured Madge, pulling Angel out of her thoughts, "We can detect people even though they're far away."

"Like RDF radar?" Madge asked her.

"Yeah."

"Well then please stop patronizing me and get on with it!"

"Yes ma'am," she walked past her to the computers that controlled the machine.

Madge turned to the captain, "Why did you say God help our children?"

"This forest is about to be harvested," he replied as Angel winced, having hoped they'd have a bit more time than that.

"Harvested?"

"Androzani trees. Greatest fuel source ever. The entire area is being melted down for factory fluids."

"Melted down?" Madge frowned, "How do you melt a forest?"

"With acid rain," Angel breathed.

"The satellites are in position," the man nodded, "Anyone still out there in 5 minutes is going to _burn_."

Madge's eyes widened, filling with tears at the thought of her children being out there, when Angel turned to her, "Madge," she put a hand on her reassuringly, "They _won't_ burn…"

"But…"

"They will _not_ burn," she repeated, looking the woman in the eyes so she would see the truth in them, "Trust me, please."

Madge eyed her a moment, not believing her for an instant, but hoping beyond hope, because that was all she could do to keep from breaking down.

She'd lost her husband, she couldn't lose her children too.

~8~

The King grew closer as the Doctor still tried to get the door open with the sonic, hearing Ayla calling for him within, hating the helpless feeling he had, she sounded near tears and it was breaking his hearts.

"Caretaker it's coming!" Lily called, rushing back to his side at the door, "Open it!"

"I'm trying!"

"Open it!"

"I'm trying!" suddenly the door unlocked itself and opened, "That wasn't me…"

"That doesn't matter!" Lily pushed her way in as the Doctor raced in after her.

"Daddy!" Ayla cried, running to him.

He scooped her up into his arms, hugging her tightly, SO relieved to see her alright, "Oh Ayla," he breathed, before sitting her down, "Are you alright?" he looked her over quickly, "Are you hurt?"

"No daddy," she shook her head, "But Cyril!" she grabbed his hand and pulled him over to the throne where Lily knelt before her brother. The boy was just sitting there, the metal band around his head, his eyes closed as the Queen looked at them.

"What's wrong with him?!" Lily looked up at him, "Caretaker is he dead?"

The Doctor reached out and touched him a moment, sighing with relief, "It's ok, he's just unconscious," he glanced up at the Queen, "What are you then?" he stood up, making sure Ayla was behind him even if she was trying to peek out from behind his legs, "Not a king…queen! The Queen bee of the forest."

Lily looked over her shoulder at the window before the throne, "Caretaker look," she walked over to the window and looked out at the stars drifting softly towards them.

"It looks like…" the Doctor frowned.

"Like what?"

"Like the life force is leaving the forest…" he turned around quickly, hearing the thumping of the King only to see he had reached them and was walking towards Cyril.

"What is he doing?" Lily jumped to her feet, "Stop him!"

The Doctor pulled out the sonic and flashed them repeatedly, "Oh, aliens made of wood!" he glared at the sonic, "This is always going to happen you know!" before trying to flash them again, "Um…"

"It's ok, daddy," Ayla tugged on his pant leg till he looked down at her. She glanced at the statues, "I think the dollies want to talk to you."

The Doctor looked at the statues, who simply looked down at Cyril, and the boy opened his eyes slowly, "They're scared," he breathed as Lily knelt before him, "Can't you hear them?"

"Hear who?" Lily shook her head.

"The trees," Ayla answered.

Cyril nodded, "The trees are screaming, can't you hear?"

The Doctor walked forward cautiously and scanned the metal band with the sonic, "No, but you can. You're connected to them…" he looked at Ayla, who was frowning the same as Cyril was, "But you're not…"

Ayla shook her head, "No, but I can hear them," she paused in thought a moment, "Mummy can too."

~8~

"They're scared," Angel whispered, staring out at the beautiful forest before them, at the lights drifting up from them, there were so many and they were just...vibrating, filling the entire forest with fear. How could she not feel them? How could she not feel it. She'd always been more in tune with how others felt, just...naturally knowing what someone was thinking or feeling and it was no different now, the forest was terrified. It was overwhelming really.

"What?" Madge looked at her, alarmed.

"The trees," she turned to the woman, a sad look in her eyes, "The trees are screaming…"

Madge opened her mouth to reply when the woman called out, "Ok, picking up life signs about half a mile away."

"Can we go to them?" Madge asked, "Can we move this thing?"

"Not trained ma'am," the woman shook her head, before jerking it towards the tied-up men, "Those two are."

"We can't trust them."

"I can't drive the platform, ma'am."

Madge looked around at the devices, "It looks a little like a plane. My husband flies a plane, he took me up once."

"It takes _years_ of training," she sighed, turning back to the computers, "Scanning for an audio connection…we might be able to hear them…"

"Acid rain alert," the system warned, "Five minute warning. Prepare for beam out."

The woman quickly got up, "I'm so sorry, you have to find a way out," and walked over to the men.

"Evacuate!" the system began to repeat.

"Acid fall is coming, you won't last two minutes!"

"Don't go!" Madge shouted as a light flickered around the three soldiers before they disappeared, "No please, wait, no! What am I to do!? I…" but they were gone, "Where have you gone?!"

"Acid fall in 5 minutes," the system continued, "Unauthorized personnel will be incinerated."

"Madge," Angel called and the woman turned around, Angel flicking a switch and the speakers squeaked on.

"Why have the stars left the trees?" Lily was asking.

"I think they're…" Cyril began.

"Just concentrate," the Doctor instructed, "What are they doing?"

~8~

The Doctor was kneeling before Cyril, Lily standing a few feet away with Ayla, holding the little girl's hand to protect her from the wooden people, as the statues stood on either side of the boy, "…evacuating," Cyril said, after searching for the word, "They're evacuating."

"Why?" he frowned.

"'Cos they're frightened of the rain. The rain that burns."

~8~

Madge looked at the speakers as Angel came to stand beside her, putting a hand on her shoulder, offering her strength from one mother to another, to hear your children speaking with terror in their voices and not be there for them...it was so terribly hard to bear.

"Caretaker please explain," Lily called, "I'm frightened."

"Those stars…" the Doctor began.

~8~

The Doctor moved to the window, motioning Lily and Ayla to him as he pointed to the stars by the trees, "They're pure life-force. Souls, if you like."

"They're trying to escape," Ayla looked up at him.

He nodded, "Because they think their home is going to burn."

"Why can't they just...float up into the sky?" Lily wondered.

"They need to travel inside a living thing. Inside Cyril. See this," he pulled out his sonic and moved back over to the boy, scanning the band around Cyril's head, "It's not a crown. It's a relay. They're turning your brother into a life boat," he put the sonic away, "That's what this place is for then," he walked back over to the window, "It's an escape plan, is that it?" he heard creaking and turned to see the Queen leaning towards Cyril, reaching for him, "Don't you harm him, do not touch that child!"

The band began to glow as the Queen touched Cyril's shoulder, the boy opening his mouth to speak in a voice far too deep to be his own, "Your coming was foretold."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol, I know there wasn't much fluff in this chapter, more the family trying to get back to each other :( I tried to put a bit of it in there though, hard to do with them all being in different areas, but next chapter we get the Time Lords all reunited ;) So expect more fluff then than here ;)


	49. The Time Family, the Widow, and the Wardrobe: The Escape

"Oh my God, what _is_ that?" Lily gasped, alarmed at the voice speaking through her brother, even she could tell that was NOT him talking, "Why does he sound like that?"

"Oh hello, are we lip-syncing now?" the Doctor asked as the Queen turned her head to him, clearly determining that it was the female statue using the boy to speak, and that felt wrong to him.

Granted, his Mate had been used much the same way at one point or another, someone had used her to speak through them, most of the time though, it was the TARDIS using her and he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that the TARDIS did so with the best intentions, without vicious will, without ever wanting to harm her. Unlike the 456 who, while they hadn't spoken directly through her, did manage to reach her on that level. Angel was strong though, SO strong, and Cyril was just a child and he didn't know what the ultimate plan the forest had was. If they were intending to use Cyril as a vessel, he needed to know what the effect would be of that, would the boy be ok in the end, would the forest being in him harm him, what would happen to him as a result? Until then, he was NOT taking any sort of risk like that.

"We had faith," Cyril continued speaking for the Queen, "Your coming was foretold."

"There's no such thing as foretelling. Trust a time traveler," he walked around them, keeping the statues and Ayla in sight.

' _Daddy you're lying,_ ' Ayla remarked to him in his mind, not sure why he was lying, her mother was psychic, she made foretellings all the time, sometimes she didn't realize she had.

' _Yes but I'm not going to let them use that as an excuse,_ ' he told her, ' _If they want Cyril, they need to give me a proper reason._ '

Too many things had been threatened due to prophecy, too many things lost just because one mad soothsayer said it in the past. That was the thing with prophecy, there were too many ways to interpret them, too many ways for them to go wrong, too many meanings that could be attached to them. Like...the soothsayers in Pompeii had foretold that he'd return with Angel, and they'd taken that as a threat, that he'd destroy their order, and they'd launched a preemptive attack. Carmen had foretold that he'd die when someone knocked four times, and he'd obsessed over the Master, the drumming in his mind, and, in the end, it had turned out to be Wilf. Even in Harry Potter the dreaded prophecy that led the boy to have such a life could have meant July as 'the seventh month dies' but equally it could have meant a child born in the 7th month of pregnancy, a child born too early.

Prophecy blinded you.

"We waited," the Queen used Cyril to speak, "And you came."

He scoffed, looking at Ayla who started nodding, that really WAS a rubbish excuse, if you waited long enough someone would always come, "So!" he looked at the statues, "You've got an escape plan," he walked back before them, "Why aren't you escaping?"

"The child is weak."

"You mean he's a child."

"No! He is weak! The forest cannot live in him. But there are others."

He had to nod at that though, "There certainly are, and the good thing is I look great in a hat. So…" he knelt before Cyril, "Let's get this thing off, eh?"

"You are also weak."

The Doctor reached for the metal band, "I'm really not. Let's save a forest eh Cyril?"

"You are _not_ the one!" the Queen insisted, "You are _weak_."

"I'm really not!" he grabbed onto the band, struggling as he lifted it up.

It blazed golden in his hand, reminding him very much of the Vortex, but then it started to hurt him, reminding him very much of when they'd faced the 456 and Angel had had that vision of Ianto dying, the Vortex had consumed her painfully. He cried out in pain and stumbled back, struggling to hold onto the band, falling to his knees as the pain drove him to it. If this was even a fraction of the pain Angel felt when the Vortex consumed her...she was stronger than he thought she was, and he already thought she was the strongest woman in the Universe.

"Daddy!" Ayla shrieked, her eyes wide in fear at seeing her father hurting so badly. Her parents seemed like the sort to make an effort not to let anyone else but each other (and even each other at times) see how badly they were hurting or upset by something. To see him in such pain, so much that he couldn't hide it...it scared her.

"Let go of it!" Lily shouted, "Just let go!"

"Daddy please!"

"Stop it! Let go! Please just drop it!"

"I can't!" he groaned, if he did, the statues would just take it again and try to force it back on Cyril! Well, that and he literally couldn't uncurl his fingers to let go no matter how much he tried, it was like there was a pull on the metal band.

So Lily leapt forward and grabbed it away from him, pulling it out of his hands. The gold light faded as Ayla ran to her father's side, hugging him tightly as he panted, winding his arms around her and holding her close, closing his eyes as he rested his chin on her shoulder, feeling so guilty for exposing her to that. It hadn't been his intention to scare her, he hated to see that fright in her eyes, she ought to always feel safe and secure with him and Angel, and she'd been frightened. But he hadn't anticipated that sort of attack from the unassuming metal band. But, unfortunately for him, he wasn't psychic like his Mate, he'd had no idea that it would happen, so all he could do was hold his daughter close.

' _Theta!_ ' he heard in his mind a little...stronger than normal.

He and Angel had been working on building up their mental walls just a little bit, so that they could still speak even with Ayla so near, so that the girl wouldn't hear them at times. Their own mental bond with their daughter was weak, only strong enough to be heard when in the same area, stronger with physical contact, but it was a bond that would ultimately fade as she grew older. Which meant that if they strengthened their mental walls just a bit they would be able to keep her from hearing their thoughts like when they spoke their names to each other.

' _Are you alright?_ ' he heard her ask, knowing she'd sensed his pain, felt it. He didn't blame her for not sensing it about to happen, she was a bit preoccupied with the acid rain and trying to get to him.

' _Fine,_ ' he nodded, despite her not being in the room, 'Better now...not going to do that again,' he promised her, not wanting to scare her or Ayla like that again.

Before Angel could even respond, he became distracted by Lily speaking, "Oh…" she breathed, smiling as she looked at the band, it was now just a circle of warm gold in her hands, not the blazing mess it had been, "It's funny isn't it…it's sort of…tingly…"

The Doctor looked up at her, confused, as he hugged his daughter, " _Tingly_?!"

The Queen reached forward and grabbed her shoulder, speaking through her, "She is strong but she is young."

Lily gasped and jumped away, dropping the band which rolled away, not wanting to be so close to the statue that had controlled her brother.

The Doctor squeezed Ayla once more in reassurance, " _It's ok,_ " he whispered to her in her ear in Gallifreyan, knowing that, just like her mother, it would calm her down more than English ever could, " _I promise, sweetheart, I'm ok,_ " he kissed her temple, pulling away and looking at her, tapping her chin with a small smile, getting her to smile too, waiting till he was sure she was alright before he stood to look at the statues, "She's strong, _I'm_ weak? Interesting…"

"Mummy?" Cyril called, coming out of it.

Lily eyed the statues cautiously as she moved to kneel by Cyril once more, "Cyril it's alright. It's me. Mummy isn't here but…" she looked over as the Doctor knelt before Cyril as well, Ayla coming to stand between them, closer to her father this time, "We're going home to her right now, aren't we Caretaker?"

The Doctor looked up, hearing the rain begin, and whispered, "No…" he stood and stared at the drops hitting a clear glass panel above them, "I don't think we are…" his eyes widened as he realized exactly what rain was falling and stood up to head to the side window, looking out at it, at the rain, "The rain that burns…acid rain…"

~8~

Madge sat against the wall of the platform, crying, with the telegram gripped tightly in her hand, as Angel knelt before her, one hand on her shoulder as she tried her best to comfort the woman.

"We have to get out of this forest," they could hear the Doctor saying over the audio, "We're in terrible danger," which only made Madge sob harder to know that her children were in such danger and SHE wasn't with them, "This tower won't protect us for long."

"Where's mummy?" Cyril asked.

"She's coming," Lily assured him, "You know she's coming because she always comes. Doesn't she?"

"We always do," Angel whispered to Madge and the woman looked up at her, eyes wide, " _Nothing_ in the Universe can keep a mother from her child, yes?"

Madge blinked and nodded, pushing herself up, "Mummy _always_ comes," she agreed.

And with that, the two women were on a mission once more.

~8~

The Doctor walked over to the children, "Cyril," he called softly as the boy looked up at him, "The way we came here, that door won't stay open forever. Now, I'm not even sure if I can get us through the forest safely," he swallowed hard at having to admit that, glancing at Ayla, fearing for her safety with the acid rain, "But if we're gonna have any chance at all, we have to go _now_."

Cyril just crossed his arms, "No. We wait for mummy. Mummy always comes."

"Not this time Cyril. I'm sorry but not this time."

Ayla tugged on his pant leg and he looked down at her, "Mummy ALWAYS comes," she repeated earnestly.

And...a moment later...there was a loud thumping coming from outside.

The Doctor turned to see the three-legged platform making its way towards them through the trees and quickly ran to the window, staring out of it in awe.

"What's that?" Lily asked as she and the other children ran to the window as well.

"It's an Androzani Harvester!" the Doctor shouted, still just...staring, "But…"

"Do you recognize that thing?"

"More to the point…I think I recognize the driving!" he grinned, laughing as the figure got closer, revealing Madge in the pilot's seat, controlling it, making it walk, as Angel ran around behind her, trying to keep the computers working, "Mummy has entered the forest!" he cheered, "Come on Madge! You can do it Angel! Way to go!"

"Shut up you ridiculous oaf!" Madge called, the three of them hearing her as Angel managed to get the audio for the speakers up.

"Come on!" he continued to cheer regardless of that, he could see Angel clearly, she was SO close, he could feel his hearts racing to know that she was alright, that she was getting closer and closer, just a few more steps, "Just one more, you can do it! You can do it! Excellent driving!"

"Caretaker?"

"Yes!" he smiled.

"You're fired!"

"Right," he nodded, the smile not even leaving his face, his Mate was FAR more important to him than a job, as long as Angel made it there safely he couldn't care less about the job or about being 'The Caretaker' if he was The Doctor, Mate of the Angel and now...Father of Ayla.

"Oh…" Madge groaned as the platform started to tilt, "No!" and then...fell to the side.

"Mummy!" Ayla gasped, her eyes widening at the sight of the machine that had her mother inside it falling over.

"It's ok," the Doctor assured her and the children, "She's fine. They're both fine. Don't worry," he kissed Cyril and Lily's heads, "Stay here!" he called as he took Ayla's hand, the two of them running out, him not about to let his daughter out of his sight again, "Just stay here!" he scooped Ayla up and ran down the stairs with her in his arms as Madge ran in through the bottom door, "Angel! Madge!" Madge's jacket was smoking, "You ok?" he asked her, setting Ayla down, "Where's Angel?!"

Madge threw back her hood, "Stay inside, the rain is frightful!" was all she told the Doctor, knowing Angel was right behind her, before running up the stairs, "Lily! Cyril!"

The Doctor didn't even look back as Madge ran past them, his gaze was on the door just as Angel ran through, protected by the faint golden glow around her, fading now that she was safe, "Angel!" he shouted, dashing right over to her and pulling her into his arms. He hugged her tightly, crashing his lips to hers as he kissed her frantically, his hearts pounding away in his chest both in the fear he'd felt in not seeing her run in with Madge and the relief that she was ok, back in his arms again.

He barely gave her a chance to breathe as they pulled away before he was kissing her again, leaving little pecks all over her face as he lifted her into his arms, spinning her around, which made her laugh in between the kisses. He set her down, reaching up a hand to touch her face as his other arm remained locked around her waist, "You're ok," he breathed, staring at her, his eyes searching hers for any sign of pain or injury, but all he saw was...amusment really...at his reaction to seeing her again.

Well, how else would he respond? It wouldn't have been so bad if it had been a simple, going into the forest and coming back out with Ayla and Cyril, that would be fine. But with the threat of the creature in the bauble, not knowing what his daughter was following, and then the acid rain and the trees trying to escape and not knowing where Angel was with the rain pouring down and...

He hugged her close once more, his arms locking around her, holding her tightly to him, burying his face in her hair, his one hand coming up to tangle in it as he inhaled her scent. He loved this about her, he loved how her hair was completely down, save for a small clip on the side of her head. He'd noticed it was a progression really. Her first incarnation to travel with him had it clipped back completely, then in a plait, then still partially restrained half up and now...mostly free, and he LOVED that. Her hair...he loved her hair almost as much as her smile...and her eyes...and her well, everything really. But her hair, he loved playing with it when she'd let it down in her other selves. It was so rare that it hung so freely that he loved to savor the moment, and now the moment was every day, and he was just tickled. There was something so...intimate...about playing with someone else's hair, Lord knew she'd discovered his own weakness of having her run her fingers through his hair, and with her...it just made him feel closer to her and he got the sense she liked it when he did that.

"You're ok," he whispered, more to himself than to her.

"Of course my love," she whispered back, her breath tickling his ear, making his hearts skip a beat and sent tingles racing through his body, "I will never let anything harm me or my family again."

He pulled away, looking at her, reaching out to gently touch her cheek with his finger, tracing it, watching as she smiled when his thumb gently traced over her lips. He couldn't help but lean in and kiss her once more, a true, deep kiss, reassuring himself one last time that she was truly ok, that she was back, and that she was with him once more, in his arms, where she was always meant to be...

"Daddy?" he heard a small voice call a few moments later, and slowly pulled away to see Ayla standing there with her arms crossed and a little cross (adorable) expression on her face, it seemed his daughter couldn't pull off being cross with anyone as much as her mother's last self couldn't manage intimidation, "Are you done hogging mummy?" she asked him, "I want to hug her too!"

He chuckled deeply at that and turned, taking only a step away from Angel and gesturing to her. Ayla grinned widely and ran to her mother, hugging the woman as she knelt down to give her a proper one, unaware that Madge was doing the same with her own children above them...

~8~

Madge ran into the top room with a shout of, "Cyril!" when she saw him and Lily standing at the window.

"Mum!" he turned to her.

"Lily!" she called, pulling them both into a hug as they ran to her, "Oh," she breathed, squeezing them once more, not noticing the statues look at her, "What are you doing?!" she pulled away to look at them, "How _dare_ you leave the house? Cyril what have I _told_ you about opening your presents early?"

"Sorry mummy," Cyril muttered.

"Something like this was bound to happen," she continued, when Lily gasped. She turned around to see the statues moving towards them, putting her arms out and ushering the children behind her to protect them, "What are those?"

"Just stay away from them," Lily warned, reaching out to tug her mother back when she noticed the statues getting closer, the Queen holding out the metal band, now glowing, to her mother, "You have to stay back."

"That's beautiful, isn't it?" Madge murmured, seeing the band the Queen was bringing to her, just...gazing at it, as if in a daze.

"Mummy!" Cyril cried as the Queen moved to crown her.

"Look how it shines…" Madge breathed, tilting her head just a bit, allowing herself to be crowned...

~8~

Angel smiled as she hugged her daughter a few moments, the Doctor looking on with a smile of his own, before she pulled back slightly, "Ayla," she began, taking her daughter's hands so she'd look at her, "What have we told you young lady?" she asked, pointing a warning finger at her, she could still feel her hearts pounding at the thought of Ayla being lost in the woods, "No wandering off!"

"But I knew you were coming!" Ayla defended herself lightly, "I _knew_ you were right behind me…"

' _She's JUST like you,_ ' the Doctor remarked to Angel silently.

"And I didn't want to let Cyril go off alone, what if something happened to him?!"

Angel sighed, ' _And you,_ ' she called back to him. And the worst part was...they couldn't be angry with her for that as they were traits they themselves embodied, ones that they hoped to instill upon her as well, to be safe but also to keep others safe.

"We're Time Lords," Ayla continued, adding a lesson her 'Aunt Idris' had told her as well, "We're supposed to protect our companions!" she said firmly.

The Doctor smiled and shook his head at her, "Is Cyril your first ever companion then?"

Ayla blinked and pouted, "That's silly daddy," she told him, "Cyril can't be, he hasn't been introduced to the TARDIS yet," he nodded at that, only those the TARDIS recognized as a pilot could take on a companion, and only people the TARDIS recognized as under the protection of her pilots could be registered as 'companion' to the old box, "But it's good practice for when I do!"

Angel squeezed Ayla's hands once more gently, to get her to look back at her, "No wandering off without _us_ then," Angel warned her, " _Promise_ me."

"I promise, mummy," Ayla nodded, pulling her hands away to cross her hearts with both of them.

"Thank you," Angel whispered, kissing her daughter's forehead, before she stood up.

The Doctor glanced out the doorway, spotting the platform basically burning in the rain and quickly scanned it with the sonic, "Nice one Madge, a complete write-off," he remarked, rubbing his head, how would they get out now? Angel could probably teleport them, but would it have to take multiple trips? And what if something went wrong and...

"Madge!" Angel gasped, running up the stairs with the Doctor and Ayla, only to see Madge sitting on the throne, the lights of the forest spiraling towards the sphere, flowing into the metal band, into Madge herself.

"The stars are going inside her!" Lily shouted, seeing them rush in, "She's taking the whole forest!"

"Oh this is marvelous!" Madge smiled serenely, as though not affected or bothered at all by the fact that the souls of trees were pouring inside of her, "Oh this _is_ really quite wonderful," she blinked as the last of the stars entered her.

The Doctor waited a moment before cautiously approaching her, "…Madge, are you alright? Talk to me?" he tapped her face a bit when she didn't reply in her daze, "Madge. Can you hear me?"

"Yes, I can hear you. I'm perfectly fine! Thank you."

"Fine?" he gaped at her, before running to the window, "You've got a whole world inside your _head_!"

"I know!" she laughed, "It's funny isn't it. One can't imagine being a forest then suddenly one can! How remarkable."

"You're ok?" he shook his head, pointing at her as he looked at the Queen for answers, " _She's_ ok?"

"She is strong," the Queen spoke through the woman, pulling away.

Madge frowned, blinking, "Oh…that wasn't me. Oh this is all really rather clever, isn't it?"

The Doctor just looked at her skeptically, "She's strong? SHE'S strong?"

Ayla tugged on his pant leg and he looked down at her, " _We_ are strong and _you_ are weak," she repeated, as though explaining what the statues were talking about

"What?" but he still wasn't getting it.

Ayla rolled her eyes childishly at him, " _Girls_ , daddy."

The Doctor frowned a moment before something struck him, "Oh," that was brilliant! "Oh stupid me," and how fitting that Ayla would work it out, "Stupid old Doctor!" he looked at the children, really sometimes the most difficult questions had the simplest answers, "Do you get it Cyril?"

And more often than not, a child's perspective on things revealed what those answers were. Their minds were truly...astonishing in how they viewed the world. It was simple. He was looking for a big, complicated difference between him and the Arwells...Ayla only saw one difference, Cyril was a boy and so was he, but Lily and her mother were girls, and that the metal band didn't hurt them like it had hurt him.

Well look at that, his daughter was a genius.

' _She IS your daughter,_ ' Angel reminded him in his mind, smiling at them both proudly.

The Doctor smiled at that, she was every bit HER daughter too, she was just brilliant! But he DID rather love hearing that his daughter was like him as much as she was like Angel, it made him feel closer to her, to know that, despite Angel having had nearly 3 years with the girl all to herself, Ayla still was just like him, naturally like him.

"No," Cyril shook his head, reminding the Doctor that he'd asked the boy a question.

"Lily you do, don't you?" he tried for Lily as well.

"No," the girl gave the same answer.

"Course you do. Think about it. Weak and strong. It's a _translation_. Translated from the base code of nature itself. You and I, Cyril, we're weak but _she's_ female!" he pointed at Madge, "More than female she's _mum_! How else does life ever travel? The mother ship!" he laughed excitedly at having figured it out...before another thought struck him, he looked over at Angel, "But so are you…" he frowned, not sure why the statues hadn't gone for her as well.

In his experience, the mental capacity of a Time Lord was far greater than a human. They were used to, at the very least, a faint buzz of their people's telepathic field in their minds. It was like a constant little warmth in the back of it, that let them know their people were there. It had diminished significantly since the War, of course, but it was still there. Angel would have been the best person to take in the forest, she was a mother, the Great Mother according to another forest dwelling race, she was a Time Lady and stronger than a human, and she could handle all the trees being in her mind better than Madge could. AND! If the sphere was an escape pod of some sort, it would need a pilot and there was no one better at flying anything than her.

So why not Angel?

"The Vortex within me would burn them alive," Angel said softly, unable to think of another reason why the forest wouldn't have selected her and sad that she couldn't be more help, that Madge would have to do this, "They're still the essence of trees. Wood and fire don't work."

The Doctor nodded, that made quite a bit of sense. Angel had often described the Vortex as swirling within her, always felt, even in her soul, and they didn't know where exactly the forest would go, in her mind or in her soul. The Vortex was pure energy and all it took was one little spark to ignite a fire, especially with wood involved. He looked at her, not even really needing to see her expression or feel her emotions to know she was upset that she wasn't able to help because of that, one of the limitations of the Vortex, and reached out, taking her hand, depositing a soft kiss to the back of it this time...before the room started to shake, the sphere rising into the air.

"What's happening?" Lily cried.

"No idea," the Doctor admitted, "Do what I do. Hold on tight and pretend it's a plan!" he quickly moved to the window with Angel and Ayla while the Arwell children knelt down on either side of Madge's chair, clinging to their mother. The Doctor put his arm around Ayla's shoulders, keeping her securely between him and Angel as they glanced out the window.

"I may not be able to take them in," Angel said and he looked at her, "But I can still _help_ ," she told him.

He frowned, watching as she closed her eyes, a look of almost-pain appearing on it, before she snapped her finger. His eyes widened as a portal opened up just outside the window…to the _Time Vortex_. His mouth dropped open as he stared at her in shock, standing up to look out the window, absolutely stunned at what had just happened, "Amazing…" he shook his head and pulled her up slightly so she could see that it had worked, "Oh you are _brilliant_!" he cheered, kissing her quickly...until the shaking of the room nearly sent him toppling over with his focus elsewhere.

But really, how WAS he supposed to focus on anything when Angel was kissing him?!

"Where are we?" Cyril called, squinting as he tried to look out the window, but all he saw was a swirling cloud-thing.

"Technically we're not anywhere…" the Doctor turned to them, Angel helping Ayla stand as well before she moved to the back window, looking out to make sure that they were indeed completely in the Vortex, "Angel's gotten us into the Time Vortex," he looked at the Queen, "You got what you wanted. Those idiots down there can burn your old home and you'll be safe up here but these people helped you and they're in our protection. Now, help them. How do we get home?"

The Queen leaned forward to speak through Madge, "Think."

"Sorry, what?"

"She must only think," the Queen repeated as she pulled away.

"Madge, did you hear that?" he knelt before her as Ayla moved to his side, wanting to watch her daddy in action, "You said it but did you _hear_ it? You've got to think."

"Think…" Madge breathed, as though trying to focus on that was difficult for her, which it likely was, she was sharing her mind with an entire forest! "What?"

"Think of home. Just picture it, feel it. You have to _really_ feel it, can you do that?" he ran to the window and looked out, "Your mind is controlling this vessel," he turned and pointed at her, "You can fly us all back for Christmas."

"My head is full of trees Caretaker, can't you or Angel fly us home?"

He glanced at Angel behind the throne as she nodded at him sadly. He knelt down before Madge, "We don't have a home to think of but you, Madge, you _do_ , and you must think of it, you _really_ need to feel it Madge. Everything about home that you miss, until you can't bear it, until you almost burst."

"Until it hurts. Is that what you mean, Caretaker? Till it hurts?"

He swallowed hard, "Yes. Yes," he looked down as she pulled out a telegram and gripped it.

Madge closed her eyes and her hold on the chair tightening in effort, "Well then, home in time for Christmas!" she screamed as they flew through the Vortex.

"I can help more," Angel called over to them, thinking quickly.

The Doctor stood up and looked at her, only to see her turn to the back window with her eyes closed and put her hands on the glass. She tensed and suddenly a golden glow started to appear around her, a soft wind pushing through her hair and flow out from around her, through the glass, seeping into the other panes that made up the sphere, making the entire thing begin to pulse with a soft golden light. The Doctor's eyes widened as he watched her, she was using her powers within the Vortex to help guide Madge, as the woman thought their destination, Angel would be able to help keep the vessel locked on and protected as they went for it, putting less of a strain on Madge.

He looked out the window to see a force of golden light appear around the vessel as well, helping them fly.

"What's happening?" Lily called, seeing the glow, "Where're we going?!"

"Show them!" he turned to the statues as they raised their hands, "Show them!" the windows before them cleared making a rather large window through which they could see the Vortex before them, "Ha! The Time Vortex!" he looked at the children, "Your mums are flying a forest through the Time Vortex! Be a little impressed."

Ayla's grin widened as she looked back at her mummy. She wanted to help terribly, but her parents had warned her away from using the pretty light that helped her escape the pirate lady.

After she had woken up on the TARDIS after meeting her Aunt Amy and Uncle Rory, her parents had taken her to the med-bay to make sure she was alright. They had worried because, as a Time Lady, she _shouldn't_ have gotten as sick as she had. But they'd discovered that, in using the light, the Vortex her mother had said, to escape the white suit, that...she had been weakened terribly but it, to the point where she was susceptible to the diseases of humans. Her natural immunities had tried to fight the illness, had fought for 6 months, but, in the end, she'd been too weak. They had warned her _never_ to use the Vortex until she was much _much_ older. Until her mother could teach her how to use it safely. She knew that her mother had died repeatedly from using the powers of the Vortex before she was ready and that she was still learning how to control it.

She wouldn't _ever_ put her parents though such a regeneration again, she promised herself that as well, just as they had promised she wouldn't ever have to regenerate like that again...because she would never need to use the Vortex to escape from anything, because they'd be there to protect her, always.

"What are you going home for Madge?" she heard her father asking as he knelt before the woman again, "What's pulling you there? Please try, please think."

"Reg!" she cried as her husband appeared on the window like a projection, a baby in his arms, and then an older him waving back at her.

"Daddy!" Cyril cheered, seeing the man playing with them when they were young, he himself blindfolded in a game.

"My Reg!" and there he was playing tea party with Lily.

"That's it," the Doctor nodded, smiling at the memories, just knowing that would be him one day, playing tea party with Ayla, and he'd be thrilled to do it too, spend time with his daughter, make her smile, because really...her happiness and Angel's happiness were the key to his own, he needed them to be happy to even begin to feel happy himself, "Focus on Reg. Be careful, but focus on him."

"I don't know…"

"How did you meet? You and Reg, tell me how you met."

"Uh…he followed me home…" and the scene appeared on the screen, the two of them, quite young, walking through the forest, "I worked in the diary, he used to follow me home."

"Look at father!" Lily smiled, "He looks so young."

"He said he'd keep on following me till I married him," Madge laughed sadly, "Didn't like to make a scene…"

"Just stay focused," the Doctor encouraged her, "Think of home. This thing, it works psychically," he pulled out the sonic and flashed it at the metal band, "It'll find the signal and lock on, Angel will help keep it on track…" he glanced back at Angel...when Madge suddenly cried out.

"No, no please, don't show me that!" he turned around to see a projection of a plane flying at night, "Please don't show me that!"

"Is that daddy's plane?" Cyril frowned, not understanding why his mother was getting so upset by it.

"Please I don't want to see that!" Madge started to cry, "Please."

"No, no, no, no, no Madge don't break the signal now," the Doctor told her, though he reached out to take Ayla's hand, "We can't break it now, I'm sorry."

"But not the night he died," Madge shook her head, pleading with him, "I don't want to see him die!"

The Doctor swallowed, "I know Madge," he told her, "I know how you feel," he could feel tears filling his own eyes as he thought on what he was saying, "Believe me, I know what it's like to see that happen," he'd seen Angel die and nearly die too many times to count, too many times that he still had nightmares about it all, "And I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

Lily, though, looked up at her mother, stunned, "What do you mean? The night he died?"

"Please don't make me watch him die!" Madge tried to shake her head, but found she couldn't, the band was keeping her in place.

"Mummy…" Cyril's voice trembled, "Is daddy dead?" but his mother could only cry, "Mummy!"

They watched as the engines of their father's plane began to fail when a man crept up from the back of the plane, "Sir, Anderson's in a bad way," he reported, looking out the window, "Where are we?"

"I don't know," Reg swallowed hard, "Somewhere over the Channel."

"What do I tell Anderson?"

He flinched, struggling to find something to say that wouldn't alarm the man, comfort him, but not lie to him at the same time, "Tell him…tell him…tell him we're going home for Christmas."

The man nodded solemnly, hearing the unspoken words, the unspoken truth behind it, "Yes sir," he headed back.

Reg's face scrunched, looking very much like he was about to cry. They _would_ be going back for Christmas, but he very much doubted they would be alive to celebrate it. He looked over at a picture of Madge he'd taped to his window, "I'm sorry, my love," he whispered, touching it, and cried as he struggled to navigate, the plane starting to decline...

"Goodbye, my love," Madge wept, her words making the Doctor flinch to hear, "Goodbye!"

Angel, however, gave a small smile that none of them could see with her back to them, "Have faith," she whispered, before her eyes snapped open, blazing gold as the entire sphere filled with a bright, gold light…

~8~

The Doctor looked over from where he was crouched down beside Angel as she sat by the back wall, checking on her to make sure she was alright from her use of the Vortex...not that he could really get too close with Ayla curled up beside her, cuddling to her mother, but all it really did was bring a smile to his face to see. He loved seeing his girls together. He leaned in, resting his forehead to hers a moment, before kissing her head, and resting his head to hers once more, "You shouldn't have done that," he whispered to her, she'd used a bit too much energy helping Madge and was very...tired at the moment.

She smiled at him and lifted a hand, resting it on his cheek as she just looked at him softly, "As though you would have been able to not help either," she murmured, stroking his cheek, "You're the Doctor, it's your job to help, as much as it is mine to protect them."

He had to nod at that, she seemed to have taken everyone's words that she really was an angel a bit more to heart in this regeneration, accepting the responsibility that came with it as well, "The guardian angel of the Universe," he remarked.

"And the man who makes the Universe better," she countered.

He gave a soft laugh, "Well I have to, don't I?" he glanced at Ayla, "For her especially."

Angel glanced at her daughter as well, the poor thing so tuckered out from the emotion of everything, she was dozing away a bit, lulled by the warmth of her parents around her, "I wonder what she'll be," she reached up another hand, one that was around Ayla, to lightly stroke her hair.

The Doctor and the Angel, what would Ayla be? There were so many titles that fit, if she wanted a title, so many names as well, if she wanted a name, or she might choose not to have one and just be...Ayla.

Either way, they knew that whatever their daughter chose it would be perfect for her and they'd love her no matter what, but they still had a while to go before she was old enough to go through the Naming Ceremony. They'd decided that, as much as they could, they'd follow the traditions and celebrations of Gallifrey with Ayla, give her that little piece of home that they could still give her.

"Absolutely brilliant," the Doctor told her, "Like her mother."

"Absolutely fantastic," she countered, "Like her father."

He beamed at that, leaning in to kiss her, his lips just barely brushing against hers...

When he heard someone groan.

He let his head hang a moment, making Angel laugh, before he glanced at the just awakening Arwells, "Go," Angel whispered to him, patting his cheek lightly with the hand still on it, a bit too tired at the moment to get up herself.

He took her hand from his face and quickly dropped a kiss to her palm, before he got up and walked over to the three humans as they slowly awoke on the floor of the crashed vessel, "Cyril, Lily, everyone alright?" he scanned the Queen quickly too.

"Are they dead?" Madge asked as she started to get up, frowning at the statues.

"No," he replied, checking the results on the sonic, "They're just wood now, they've been…"

"Released," Angel called as Madge rubbed her head, "The forest isn't in your head anymore either, is it?"

Madge shook her head, feeling it cleared, putting her hands down, "And where is it now?"

"The life force of the whole forest has transmuted itself into a sub-etheric waveband of light which can exist as a…" the Doctor trailed off, seeing her blank look.

"All those souls that escaped the trees," Angel leaned back, closing her eyes a moment with a smile, "They're safe, floating with the stars, just...glowing," she opened her eyes to smile at Madge as the children got up as well, "They're happy and safe now Madge, and it's because of YOU."

The Doctor nodded, proud, "Well done Madge."

Madge smiled a little at that, before pushing herself up," And where are we?"

"Home!" the Doctor cheered, "Christmas morning!" he walked over to a window and wiped off the condensation to reveal the manor behind it, "We've taken a bit of a shortcut, haven't you always wanted to do that?"

"Mother…" Lily began.

Madge turned to her children, "Oh, look at you," she walked towards them with open arms, "You've been so brave you…" but they backed away, "Look we're home again see…"

"What did you mean, watch him die? Where's father? Where is he? Where's daddy?" Madge slowly pulled out the telegram in her hands, "Why are you holding a telegram?" Lily whispered, knowing well enough what it meant and feeling herself growing teary at the thought, not wanting it to be real. She reached out and took Cyril's hand, even if the boy didn't quite know the significance of the paper in their mother's hand, she knew he'd soon find out.

The Doctor looked down before he went to kneel by Angel, gently waking Ayla helping them both up, they would need to leave the family alone for a few moments, this was a...rather private and delicate matter that didn't need to be overheard by strangers.

"Well what does it say?!" Lily demanded as Madge remained silent still.

"Please just tell us!" Cyril pleaded, feeling tears in his eyes the moment Lily took his hand, his older sister wasn't like that often, for her to be so upset as to hold his hand...it was bad, it was really, really bad.

"Tell us!"

"I imagine you'd prefer to be alone?" the Doctor called softly.

Madge looked back to see Angel standing beside him, his arm around her waist to support her as Ayla stood by her mother's side, clutching her hand tightly, "I don't believe anyone would prefer that," she whispered to them, "Stay close."

He nodded, "We'll be right outside," before moving to help Angel leave.

"Madge," the woman called, drawing her attention once more, "Please, it's Christmas, you must have faith," she told the woman before allowing the Doctor to lead her out.

Madge took a breath and turned to her children, "Lily…Cyril…" she took their hands and knelt before them…

~8~

The Doctor slowly helped Angel down the small steps, she was terribly weak from using the Vortex in such a manner. Thankfully nowhere near enough to require regeneration, for which he was immensely thankful, but still very weary. He helped her to the doorway of the craft, leading her out onto the grounds to sit on a piece of rubbish that had broken off the vessel...when Ayla gasped.

He looked over at her to see if she'd hurt herself...only to see her starting to smile as she looked across the yard. He frowned and followed her gaze, his eyes widening at what he saw.

"Go," Angel whispered.

He looked back at her to see her smiling proudly and nearly smacked himself. All this time she'd been telling them to have faith that things would work out…it seemed this incarnation loved a surprise as well. He beamed, kissing her on the forehead and heading back to the vessel, but stopped suddenly, "What am I thinking?" he muttered, confusing the girls...

Before he rushed back to her and took her face in his hands, kissing her deeply, beaming when he saw her breathless as he pulled away, "You are an angel, truly," he whispered, kissing her forehead, and really turning back to head into the vessel this time.

Angel watched him go, shaking her head with a laugh at his antics, but very...pleased with them as well. She looked over when she saw Ayla pull herself up to sit beside her, leaning over to hug her tightly, "Mummy you're a star!" she cheered, making Angel's hearts soar.

~8~

"A few nights ago, your father, who, as you know was the best of men and the bravest of pilots was flying home for Christmas," Madge explained softly to her children, "His plane was badly damaged and his instruments failed him. Unfortunately he was flying on a night where there was no moon and, because it was very cloudy, there were no stars to…" she took a breath, "There were no stars to light his way."

"Did he get lost?" Cyril frowned.

"Yes Cyril, he got so very lost…" she trailed off, looking over her shoulder when she heard footsteps running up the stairs.

The Doctor appeared at the top, seeming to be trying to fight a grin, "Um, sorry to interrupt, but you might want to pop out here for a moment…"

"Caretaker I'm talking to my children."

"I know, and before you go any further…I think you'd better come and look…" he grinned widely, unable to hide it before heading back down.

Madge frowned a moment before standing, taking any opportunity to NOT have to tell her children that their father, her husband...was dead.

~8~

The Doctor stood at the side of the vessel, when Ayla, who had hopped off the debris she'd been sitting on and rushed over to him, tugged his sleeve. He looked at her and leaned over when she beckoned him down with a little finger...only for her to tweak his bowtie, straightening it for him. He dropped a kiss on top of her head in thanks before straightening, seeing the Arwells walking out to him, seeing _exactly_ what he had seen, their mouths dropping open in shock at the sight before them...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little bit more fluff here ;) Nowhere near as much as will be in the next chapter ;) But awww, Ayla and Cyril, a little pre-pilot and companion thing there :)
> 
> I can say though...I know what Ayla will pick for a name/title/pick-no-name when the time comes ;) AND! I can say that it WILL be included in a chapter of this saga, we'll find out what title/name/pick-no-name Ayla will go with :)


	50. The Time Family, the Widow, and the Wardrobe: Christmas Day

"No stars to light the way Madge?" the Doctor grinned widely, "There was one. One light. One star that burned so brightly in the heart of time that it reached across it…" he looked over at Angel as Madge looked at her as well, stunned.

Angel merely gave her a small modest smile and a wink.

Madge's eyes filled with tears, realizing what the woman had done…

~8~

_Reg looked up in alarm, squinting at the golden light that had appeared in the darkness, "What is that?" the soldier asked as he came back to the cockpit, having spotted the glow even from the back it was so bright._

_"I don't know, but its all we've got," Reg declared, "We can follow it!" he turned the plane, following the golden light right into the storm clouds (having no idea it was a Time Vortex), swearing he could see a woman's figure within the center of it looking back at them…a glowing angel…_

~8~

The Doctor shook his head at his Mate, oh she was just exceptional! Brilliant! Fantastic! Wonderful! So many other words he couldn't take the time to express. She had known, all that time, she'd had a feeling that Reg was ok, and there it was...the man's biplane on the ground before them. Another Christmas Miracle from his Christmas Angel it seemed.

"He did it again Madge!" he laughed, "He followed you home," he pointed back at the plane as Reg walked out of it.

"Madge!" Reg called, walking forward, _very_ confused, "What am I doing here?"

Madge couldn't help but throw her arms out, "It's Christmas Day, my love, where else would you be?!"

Reg blinked at that, startled, "Christmas Day? How?"

"We took a shortcut!" was all she could manage before running to him.

"Daddy!" his children shouted, running to hug him as well.

"Daddy!" Ayla joined in, but running to the Doctor instead, who turned and scooped her into his arms, hugging her too as she giggled in his ear.

"Happy crying," a voice said beside him. He looked over to see that Angel had gotten up and made her way over to them, and wound an arm around her, Ayla turning in his arms, her own little ones wrapped around his neck, so they could all watch the Arwells reunite, crying tears of joy at their father's return.

"Humany wumany," he agreed, kissing Angel's temple, "Their very own Christmas miracle eh?"

She smiled, turning to rest her forehead to his, shaking her head slightly, "Just trying to help."

"I love it when you do that," he murmured, his eyes drifting closed as hers were.

"I love it when YOU do it too."

"I love it even more when you need my help," he added, a small sly grin forming on his face.

"Well what do you know," she began, opening her eyes to see him grinning suggestively at her, "I'm so tired, I think I might just need _help_ getting to bed."

The Doctor looked back to see the Arwells still excitedly embracing and knew they'd be alright for the next few hours, wouldn't even notice if they happened to slip away, "Well, what sort of Mate would I be if I didn't _help_."

Ayla just giggled in her father's arms as her parents headed back for the manor, to the TARDIS, they really did like to help people didn't they?

~8~

Later that day, quite a bit later really, nearly nightfall, the Doctor watched through a doorway to a sitting room where the Arwells were gathered around the fireplace, putting together a puzzle as a family. Reg pulled Madge close and dropped a kiss onto her head as he enjoyed time with his wife and children.

The Doctor smiled, that was...exactly where he wanted to be as well, with his Mate and daughter. He nodded at a job well done, before walking off, ready to head out with his girls, just having come to check on the small family.

~8~

Madge entered the attic room, having spotted the Doctor peeking in and wanted to properly thank him...only to stop short, seeing the blue police telephone box sitting right in front of her. Her eyes widened as she stepped closer, especially when the Doctor stepped out of it, "Ahh…" he grinned.

She pointed at him, a smile blooming on her face, "Of course it's you isn't it!? My spaceman angel with his head on backwards."

The Doctor blinked, glancing back at the TARDIS as a thought struck him, a thought he hadn't thought for, what the thought, might be ages. He couldn't help but grin and shake his head, his Mate truly was _remarkable_ wasn't she? She'd called him her very own 'spaceman angel' centuries ago, when they'd been aboard the replica _Titanic_! He loved it when little things like that snuck back at him, all those little remarks she'd made when she'd first started travelling with him and Rose that just...kept coming to light even now! It really was brilliant. SHE was brilliant.

"How do I look?" he asked Madge, turning back to her as he spun around, "The right way around."

"Funnier," she answered bluntly.

He blinked, "…ok."

"So you came back."

"Well, you were there for me when I had a bad day," he shrugged, "And my Mate has always had a distinct politeness to her, thanking people and such," his smile though assured her it was _not_ just Angel who had wanted to thank her for her help, "Got a bit clinchy in the middle there, but it sort of worked out in the end. Story of my life."

It literally was the exact story of his life. He'd started off so well, his parents, his siblings, brothers and sisters, family. He'd gotten relatively good marks in school, had friends, got into a bit of trouble here and there...and then got married. Life got a bit...straining, living with a woman he didn't love but loving his children too much to leave, waiting till they were old enough to go out and fly through the Universe, his own form of running away, always running...and then...more clinching, more adventures and dangers and deaths and loss and then the War...more and more loss and bloodshed and anger and now...

Peace.

Finally, peace and happiness and love. Everything had worked itself out in the end. He'd found a place in the Universe and, even though it was as dangerous as before, he had an angel watching over him. He'd found love, he'd found a Mate, he'd met the most amazing people, and now he had a daughter to boot. The Silence had been dealt with and...for the moment, the danger was past, now he could just be...a father to his daughter, a Mate to his angel, and a madman to his box. And that was all he really wanted, he really DID just want a simple life. Adventures and running, not all the danger and destruction that came with it, even more so now he just...wanted to spend time with his family.

He smiled at that, HIS family.

He knew that Angel had her own, in their companions, and yes, they were his family too, he'd come to look at them like that as well, but mostly through Angel. Like...they were his Mate's brother or sister, or HIS companion, but Angel and Ayla...they were his true family, they were his girls, and he loved them more than anything. To spend time with just them...that was the simple life he wanted, the one he'd finally gotten.

"Thank you," Madge walked over and hugged him tightly, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Oh," he hugged her as well, before pulling away.

"Now, the last time I saw you, I went back the next day but the phone box had gone."

"Yeah, you want to see how it's done?" he ran back to the box, excited.

"No!" she shouted, stopping him, "I want you and Angel and Ayla to stay for Christmas. Please."

"Ah, well," he started to rub the back of his head, "You see, things to do, people to see…"

"Of course, yes," she nodded, smiling when the two girls she had just mentioned stepped out of the box, "Family of your own."

The Doctor looked back, seeing his girls standing behind him, "Yeah," he nodded as Angel wrapped her arms around Ayla's front, holding the girl to her as Ayla reached up to curl her hands around the tops of her mother's arms, smiling at him.

He felt his own smile grow as he looked at them, it really...touched him SO much how Ayla looked like him and Angel, that was...something rare in Time Lord children. Their first incarnation tended to look like the incarnations that conceived it, explaining her chocolate brown hair and grey eyes, but after that, it was usually a mish-mash with regeneration. If the child was young enough, still close with its parents, they might display a few traits, but look at his daughter. She'd blended him and Angel perfectly, her strawberry-blonde hair, his green eyes...looking at her you KNEW who her parents were.

"Well then, I can't keep you from them," Madge laughed, making a small shooing motion with her hand, "Off you go."

The Doctor gave her a small salute, "Now eyes on the box!" he called, moving to head into the box.

"Oh Caretaker!" Madge called as he turned to look at her, "What if I require you again?"

The Doctor grinned, "Make a wish," he told her, "My girls will hear it."

Ayla ran past her parents to hug Madge's legs, "Merry Christmas Mrs. Arwell," she cheered, grinning up at the woman.

Madge smiled at her and leaned forward to hug her a bit, "Merry Christmas dear," she whispered as the girl beamed and ran back to her parents, pushing the door to the box open and rushing inside.

"Merry Christmas Madge," Angel smiled at her, stepping into the box after Ayla. The Doctor paused, pointing back to her before he too entered it.

A moment later, the wheezing noise she had heard years ago filled the room and the box before her disappeared...just as her husband walked in, "What the hell was _that_?" he gaped.

Madge smiled to herself, "That was just the Caretaker and his family returning to the Time Vortex. It's a lovely place," she turned to him, "I've been there myself," she walked past him, patting him on the arm, "Shall we go downstairs?"

Reg took a moment to stare at where the box had been before nodding and following her, perhaps he'd just had a bit too much sherry just before.

~8~

Angel closed the TARDIS doors as she stepped out of the box looking across the street at the house she and the Doctor had given to Amy and Rory, the red car they'd gifted to Rory sitting out front, the entire street was filled with cars really, but with it being Christmas, it was expected. She smiled at the TARDIS blue door, eager to see their companions again. Ayla took her hand and half-tugged her across the street, excited to see her Auntie Red and Uncle Beaky once more. She looked over at the Doctor as he walked beside them, his hand in hers, scratching his temple a bit with his free hand.

She laughed and squeezed his hand so he'd look at her, "Don't pick at it," she told him.

"But it itches!" he mock-whined, though he pulled his hand away.

They had adapted the eye drive technology they'd seen during the whole Lake Silencio fiasco and made it into a very, _very_ small chip that they'd injected into their brains. It acted _exactly_ like the eye drives, though without forcing them to need to wear them. It protected their memories, allowing them to remember the Silence, giving them a way to protect Ayla and themselves should they try to attack again. It was a small price to pay to be able to remember their dreaded enemies whenever they saw them. And, IF they ever did again, they could imagine the looks on their faces when they realized that they were able to remember them without the eye drives, leave them to wonder how they'd done it. Well, they couldn't REALLY imagine the looks on the Silence faces...they didn't really have many expressions did they?

The Doctor walked up the steps and knocked on the front door, avoiding the bright wreath hanging on it, excited to see the Ponds as well.

"If that is more carol singers," they could hear Amy shout from inside as the Doctor knocked again, "I have a water pistol! You don't want to be all wet on a night like…" she threw open the door, "This…" and trailed off as she saw the Doctor, Angel, and Ayla standing there, her aiming the water pistol at them.

"Not absolutely sure…" the Doctor began, wincing as he realized he'd forgotten to check the monitor and ask Angel when they'd set down, Angel and Ayla had gone to get changed into their typical outfits while he flew them to meet the Ponds, "How long…"

"Two years!" Amy glared and squirted him _three_ times, once for each year and then another for good measure as he wiped his face.

"Ok…fair point."

Amy rolled her eyes at him when...

"Aunt Amy!" Ayla cheered, running forward and hugging Amy's legs.

Amy laughed and managed to kneel down, hugging the girl tightly, "Oh, how is my little niece doing?" she asked, pulling away a bit.

"Very well, thank you," Ayla beamed, nearly fidgeting from excitement at seeing her family again.

"Good to hear," she smiled, standing up, "Angel," she hugged the girl too.

"Amy," Angel laughed, giving her a squeeze.

Amy pulled away a moment and turned to the Doctor, "Oh come here!" she hugged him as well, "Mr. Pond!" she shouted into the house as he put her down, "Guess who's coming for dinner!"

Rory walked around a corner and beamed, "Angel!" he grinned widely, rushing over to hug her, "And Ayla!"

"Uncle Rory!" the little girl squealed, hugging him tightly as he scooped her up into his arm, the little girl clinging to him tighter than anything.

Rory beamed proudly at that, it was quite clear who her _favorite_ uncle was.

Take that Jack!

He couldn't help but think that to himself. He and Ayla...they had a special bond, he liked to think. Not only was he her mother's companion, but he was Ayla's 'Uncle' what's more...he was their 'doctor' too. _He_ had been the one to take care of Angel through most of her pregnancy, he'd been the one to run tests, the first to discover she was pregnant and really make sure she was ok, eating and resting properly. He was the first Uncle Angel had officially titled, on his wedding night. He had been around Angel longer than the others when she was pregnant, Ayla, according to the Doctor when he'd asked about Time Lord pregnancies and things, was aware from the womb who he was. She could recognize his voice, she knew, the moment she saw/heard him who he was, he was the only one she really knew as her 'uncle' at first, because he'd been there.

And he always would, he'd be her Uncle Rory till the day he died, he swore that to himself.

"Doctor," Rory held out his hand, shaking the Doctor's firmly, confidently.

Amy smiled softly at her husband able to practically feel that radiating off him, he'd really grown SO much, before turning to them, "We're about to have Christmas dinner. Joining us?"

"If it's no trouble," the Doctor said a bit sheepishly for having turned up out of the blue.

"There's a place set for you," Rory told him.

He frowned, "But you didn't know we were coming…" he frowned, before eying him suspiciously, "You're not psychic too, are you?"

Rory laughed, "No. Just Roman."

He nodded, "But then…why would you set us a plate?"

"Oh because it's _Christmas_ you moron," Amy told him, "And besides, we all set plates for you three."

He blinked, "We...all?"

Rory grinned, seeing even _Angel_ looked confused, it was not every day you got to surprise _her_ , "Come on," he nodded them in, walking into the house with Ayla. They followed behind him as Amy shut the door. Rory walked around a corner and they followed, only to stop short at the sight before them.

There, in a bigger-on-the-inside dining room compliments of shared technology of Torchwood, UNIT, and Sarah Jane, were all their companions, their family. Mickey and Martha Smith, Jack and the Torchwood team, Sarah Jane Smith, Donna and Shawn Temple-Noble, _and_ their families! Even Jenny and Cline were there, and Amy-O!

They'd kept in contact with Jack ever since Apalapuchia, making sure to check in on Amy-O and, according to Jack she'd gotten rather tired of aliens and Cardiff and, with his blessing and (at his insistence) some funds, went out to really explore the Earth. They could tell that she missed Rory, they DID manage to keep in contact with Amy-O as well, Jack having given her a communicator if she ever needed them, but she had been honest, she was fully intent to give her younger self the days she hadn't gotten to have, and, right now, she was just enjoying the days she DID have. She had been everywhere, all over the world, just...seeing it, walking in the dust. After being trapped in Twostreams, she really just wanted to see everything, and all the wonder of it...it helped keep her mind off of Rory. She had told them that she actually preferred it like that, to see it herself, without him, because she'd been alone for decades, that didn't just disappear because Rory was back. She felt more comfortable in a smaller crowd, even more so alone, and it would have been awkward travelling with her younger self and Rory. She really was...just enjoying her time, enjoying the places she'd been, and content in the knowledge that Rory was happy and living his life with her in a way.

And, as soon as 'the family' all saw the guests of honor everyone was out of their seats, calling for them, hugs and kisses flying around. Ayla had _never_ received so many hugs in such a short time before (though she was LOVING every minute of it) and found herself giggling uncontrollably when her Uncle Jack proceeded to try and tickle her until her mother had snatched her back.

Amy glanced over at the Doctor's stunned expression when things died down a bit and she led him and Angel to one end of the table where there were two empty plates, "We all get together for the holidays," she told them, before moving to settle Ayla over with the children at their own separate table, the girl VERY excited to get to see all her 'cousins' again, especially a new one she'd learned was named Sky, "Especially Christmas."

"We've got New Years," Mickey told them for him and Martha.

"And we're responsible for Easter," Sarah Jane added.

"You just missed me," Donna mock-glared at them, "I'm Christmas Eve."

The Doctor grinned, "Because you hate Christmas?"

"Exactly," Donna laughed, though they could all see she didn't hate the holiday anymore.

"And we've Christmas," Rory explained.

"We have Boxing Day," Gray added.

And Jack sighed dramatically, "I _wanted_ November 5th."

The Doctor laughed, "You and explosions Jack, fitting."

"So, Christmas is the main event?" Angel smiled, seeing that her family was together for _three straight days_.

"Of course," Martha nodded, "You always seem to land here on Christmas, it's our best chance to see you all again."

Angel smiled at them, her hearts warmed at Martha's words. She looked over, feeling the Doctor take her hand and saw him beaming at that as well, tears in his eyes to see all his companions alive and well, celebrating and sticking together and knew...maybe, it wouldn't be so hard to get him to come visit them more. They might not have even needed to threaten him to get him to agree. That look...it was the look of a man SO proud of all the people there, it was the look of a man reuniting with family.

' _It seems there are a few dates we need to ensure we land on Earth for my love,_ ' Angel called to him quietly in his mind.

He looked at her, smiling as he nodded, ' _So it does,_ ' he agreed, making her beam to hear him agreeing that, at the very least, they'd be seeing their family again for all those days.

It seemed they were right in time for this holiday though, as Amy brought out the first round of food with Amy-O, the two women having cooked as they had always complained about earlier.

~8~

It had been a _wonderful_ meal and soon they were all making their way into the sitting room to crowd around the tree the Williams' had set up, with mounds of presents scattered around from the collections brought by all the different families coming together to exchange gifts. Amy went over to one of the piles and picked up a small package wrapped in a TARDIS blue paper, "Here's one for Ayla!" she cheered, walking over to the little girl as she sat on the Doctor's lap on an armchair, Angel standing just beside the chair.

Her eyes brightened, clearly not having expected that, "For _me_?!"

Amy smiled and handed her the gift, walking back to the tree to help distribute the others. Angel frowned and turned to Rory as he stood nearby, reaching out to put a hand on his arm to pull his attention over, "Please tell me you don't buy presents every year for us?" she would feel horrible if they spent that money on them and they weren't even there to open them.

"Actually, we just did this year," Rory reassured her, patting her hand.

"Why?" the Doctor looked up as Ayla carefully unwrapped her gift with a patience only a Time Lord could have...well, most Time Lords, he was actually starting to fidget in excitement to see what it was.

"Well…" Rory trailed off, unsure if he should say, but sighed, "Amy invited River, she does it every year."

And he honestly wasn't sure how to feel about that. With it being Christmas, he _tried_ to be in better spirits around the woman, though the events usually ended up being rather tense. What with the entire family being there...and the person who murdered a member of it. It was...awkward and tense at best, the only reason that the family didn't attack River on sight being that they'd been made aware that River was biologically their daughter and, with Jenny popping in for holidays (even if she couldn't throw them herself being on Messaline), they couldn't exactly attack River and claim she wasn't really their daughter when Jenny had been created much the same way and was an accepted member of the family. It was really just made worse by the fact that they were all WELL aware of River's flirting with the Doctor as well and were quite...distant with her for it as a result. River usually only stayed a short while before leaving, never very long, but this year...

"She refused to come this year, we sort of figured that was a sign you'd actually come and we wanted to be prepared."

The Doctor nodded tensely, trying not to let the fact that River was involving herself in the Pond family get to him. She technically WAS their daughter, biologically, she did have some small right to be there, much like Jenny deserved to be with them even being only biologically related to HIM. He was actually...grateful...that the woman wasn't there, even if it was because of them. If they had walked in and seen River there...he would have walked right out and flown his family away from the Ponds. Luckily that hadn't happened, because Ayla would have been SO terribly disappointed to not see her Aunties and Uncles again, even if she herself was a bit scared of River.

He supposed it _did_ make sense as well, River had been very cold and distant when they'd seen her last, introducing Ayla to Amy and Rory, he could only assume that she'd try and stay away from having to interact with the family especially in such intimate family-like situations. But he found he really didn't care her reasons for it, River wasn't there, so it was a good day. River could come for all he cared, but AFTER they'd left or if she left before they arrived, he just...he didn't ever want to see the woman again if he could help it.

The ONLY time he wanted to be anywhere near River, the murderer of his Mate, was when the time came for Darillium, because then it would mean the Library for her. As terrible as that was to think, that was really all he could bring himself to feel comfortable interacting with River for.

Angel, however, frowned at that, her mind going down the same, yet slightly different path as the Doctor's. River, for all intents and purposes, WAS Amy and Rory's daughter, much like Jenny was the Doctor's and hers (even if she was only related to the Doctor). Both girls had been created in much the same way, using just the DNA of the parent(s) and really only being introduced as their actual child when they were near adulthood. Both were fighters, both could handle weapons, and both were remarkably clever. But Jenny was THERE and River wasn't. River was missing out on such a wonderful family experience because of _them_. She did feel bad about that and she hoped that River might still get a chance to see her parents before Christmas was over.

She agreed with Madge, _no one_ should be alone at Christmas, not even River Song.

The Doctor reached out and took Angel's hand, squeezing it as though sensing her thoughts, which he likely was. She really wasn't trying to ever hide anything from him again, she wanted them to have an open and honest communication. She looked down at him and smiled when he kissed the back of her hand, tugging her closer to sit on the arm of the chair.

"Aslan!" they heard Ayla squeal and looked over to see her opening a white box and pulling out a stuffed lion…complete with TARDIS blue bowtie, "Thank you!" she looked up at Amy.

"You're welcome cutie," Amy smiled at her, she'd nearly been about to call the girl 'sweetie' but remembered who else tended to LOVE calling the Doctor that and that was NOT someone she wanted to remind the Time Lords of at the moment, not having heard Rory bring up River only moments ago, "That one was from all of us," she told her before handing her another gift, "This one's from me and Rory though."

"Hey!" Jack shouted, before bring another gift over, "And this one's from me and the team."

"Hold on, hold on," Mickey brought yet _another_ gift out. And soon there was a small pile growing on the Doctor's lap for the girl, just a small portion of the total presents for everyone in the room but still, Angel couldn't help but laugh.

"You're all going to spoil her!" Angel warned them playfully, "The Doctor and the TARDIS spoil her enough as it is."

Ayla though, just opened each present with a delicate care and thanked the giver in turn, absolutely beaming with each present, small as they were, but just delighted to be receiving any.

"Well thank God she got Angie's manners," Jack remarked with a smirk.

"Oi!" the Doctor called, mock-offended, earning a laugh from everyone else.

All too soon presents were being exchanged all around to the adults as well as children, all the family settling down and opening their gifts, with thanking and laughing and smiling overflowing. The Doctor sat there, watching on as the entire family celebrated this time of being together, Ayla having gotten up to go and play with Sky and Rani, just...so truly proud of the people they'd become and just touched by how much they all meant to each other.

"You were wrong, you know," Angel whispered to him as she leaned on him slightly, one of her arms around the back of his neck, resting on his opposite shoulder, gently playing with his hair, running her fingers through it, making his eyes drift closed for a moment, enjoying the sensation.

"About what?" he looked at her, finally managing to gather his thoughts enough from her ministrations to form a coherent sentence.

"We DO have a home to think of," she told him softly, smiling softly down at him, "It may not be our home planet, but it _is_ a home," he looked at her curiously as she nodded over at the people gathered in the room, all of them representing the biggest parts of their lives, Ayla right in the middle of them, "The saying, home is where the heart is, has never been more true," she explained, drawing his attention back to her, "Because my hearts are always with you and Ayla, with our friends, our family."

He smiled at her softly, looking once more at the people gathered around them, people who had touched their lives and their hearts in so many ways, before he returned his attention back to his Mate. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her to sit on his lap with a gentle squeak of surprise from her, laughing as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close, beaming when she rested her head to his chest, the two of them just watching their family contentedly.

~8~

"Bye Uncle Jack, bye Uncle Gray!" Ayla waved as she stood outside Amy's house, waving at the man, the last person in the very long list of family members she had personally said goodbye to, much to the amusement of all parties involved.

"See ya round Beautiful," Jack called to her, winking as she turned and skipped ahead of her parents who gave the family lingering in the Pond doorway a wave.

The Doctor pointed at Amy with a smirk, the girl standing there in the mandatory boa, a neon blue one, with a tall black fur guard's hat on and clown shoes with what looked like a beach blanket wrapped around her hips, the ginger FINALLY having been inducted into Gingers United now that the members were all gathered together in one place. That had been a riot that had Rory snapping pictures to see Amy dressed so oddly, but Amy had just smiled because she'd heard SO much about the little club and was now an official member. Finally right?

"Go!" Amy shouted at them, laughing as she waved them off.

Angel took the Doctor's hand and they turned, heading back to the TARDIS.

The Doctor laughed as Ayla stood at the doors to the TARDIS, fidgeting, excited to get in there and show her Aunt Idris her new lion, Aslan as she had _really_ taken to calling it, along with the other trinkets her family had given her that she had in a small bag that was her Aunt Amy's present. He unlocked the doors and opened one, letting his daughter bolt in, smiling as he watched her before shutting the door and looking at Angel a moment.

"What is it love?" she asked, seeing that he wanted to say something but just...wasn't.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

She frowned, completely confused, "What for?"

"This Christmas," he rubbed the back of his head, "Not really one of the best eh?" he tried to smile at her, but it just came out more disappointed than anything, "Acid rain, wooden statues, trees on the run..." he sighed, moving to rub his forehead now, the disappointment even more evident, "I just...wanted you and Ayla to have the _perfect_ Christmas for once, just nothing going wrong, no deadly dangers, no amnesia, no..."

"It was," Angel cut in, taking his hands to stop him, "It was the absolute _best_ Christmas I have ever had."

He looked at her, startled, "It...was?"

She laughed, leaning closer to drape her arms around his neck, "Not counting the acid rain, which did little more than singe my dress mind you," she reminded him that that was really the _only_ actual danger they'd faced, "It was...wonderful, just wonderful."

"It was?" he had to repeat.

She smiled, "We got to spend it with Ayla and our family, help another family, save someone's life, save a forest, go to a 'winter wonderland' as the humans would call it, and we're still together," she leaned in and gave him a peck, "It was just...fantastic," she laughed.

He smiled at the word, "It was wasn't it?"

She nodded, "Though...I DO know one more thing that would make it absolutely amazing though."

"A shark-drawn carriage?" he guessed, still feeling SO horrible that the one they'd taken had been when he'd forgotten the promise he'd made her about it.

Her smile turned mischievous, something he found he really liked very much on this new her, because it often meant very GOOD things for him, "Close your eyes," she ordered lightly, her hearts skipping a beat when he did so immediately, without question, trusting her.

Though he DID frown a bit when he felt her step away from him completely.

But a moment later he heard her say, "Open them."

And did, his eyes widening as he saw what surprise she had in store for him and had to laugh. She was standing there...wearing the mistletoe on a stick that he'd worn before they'd met Jackson Lake around her head. He reached up to poke the dangling bit, making it swing.

"You don't need that," he told her, reaching out to take her hand, tugging her near, "I'd kiss you every minute of the day if I could," he reminded her of some very familiar words.

"Well then, you'd best make good on that," she told him, not bothering to remove the band, "Lying will get you on the naughty list."

He chuckled at that, "Maybe I like being on the naughty list," he whispered, moving his hand from hers to wind around her, leaning closer, and kissing her deeply, his hand coming up to curl around the back of her neck, deepening it even more, taking the time to enjoy the chill that was pressing them closer, the light snow that had started to fall, and his Mate in his arms. He let out a content breath when they pulled away, "We are a pair aren't we?" he murmured, lazily blinking his eyes open to grin softly at her, "Naughty and Nice."

She smiled, "Smith and Jones," she reminded him, winking before she took his hand and pulled him into the TARDIS, the mistletoe still around her head.

~8~

The Doctor tugged up the duvet around Ayla as he sat on the side of the mattress, smoothing it out and making sure she was all situated and comfy as she sat in her little bed across from him, "So," he looked at her, "What did you think of our latest adventure sweetheart?"

He was hoping she liked it, that she'd enjoyed it. He wasn't sure if he was trying to show off how cool he was as a father or if he was just trying to make up for the whole incident with the Silence and missing so much of her life. It seemed he was doing a good job with whatever it was given the way Ayla smiled all the time, how she looked at him with such pride and love. Just seeing her smile made it SO worth it.

Ayla, never one to disappoint, beamed up at him, "Mrs. Arwell was _so_ nice," she giggled, "She loved Lily and Cyril very much."

"Yes," he nodded, "Yes, she did."

"As much as you love me?" she asked, her green eyes, HIS green eyes, wide as she looked at him.

"Oh I don't think ANYONE could love their child more than I do you," he assured her, lifting up the blanket just a bit and she wiggled to a laying position, allowing him to tuck her in.

"How much do you love me daddy?" she asked as she turned on her side, looking up at him.

"Very, _very_ , _VERY_ much."

"More than all the stars in the Universe?"

He smiled gently at her, "That would be impossible…"

She sighed, "I know, because you can't know how many stars there are at any given point in time due to light pollution, the distance the light of the star must travel, how many can even be seen from any given point…"

"Your Auntie's been teaching you about the Universe again hasn't she?" he interrupted her lightly, seeing her words turning into a mini-lecture he was quite certain neither he nor Angel had given her, so it had to be the TARDIS. That little girl loved talking to the old box more than Angel did it seemed. Ayla nodded which made him smile, "But that wasn't what I meant sweetheart."

She blinked, giving him an adorably confused look, "What did you mean?"

"I meant, it's impossible that there are enough stars, in all the Universes, throughout all of time, that can accurately quantify _how much_ I love you."

Ayla smiled widely, "Really?"

"Really, really," he smiled, giving her a kiss on her forehead, "In fact," he moved to kneel beside her bed, crossing his arms to rest his chin on them, looking into her eyes, "I think, no, I'm certain, there's only _one_ other person who loves you just as much as I do."

Ayla's grin got bigger, knowing JUST who it was, "Mummy."

He nodded, "Mummy. We both love you, _so much_ , Kitta," he whispered, tugging the duvet up just a little more, "Now, time to sleep."

She nodded, closing her eyes as she snuggled deeper into the bed, clutching a little stuffed bowtie-wearing lion to her.

The Doctor smiled at the sight and dropped one more kiss onto her hair before heading to the door. He paused, looking back at her, before he pulled out the sonic and quickly flicked it on. A small nightlight turned on across the room, creating a realistic illusion of space and stars on her ceiling, her gift from him and Angel, so that she could travel in space and time even in her dreams. He nodded to himself, backing out of the room, gently shutting the door behind him, and turned around...

Only for a pair of lips to press against his own. He grinned into the kiss, _very_ pleased as he wrapped his arms around his Mate, deepening it, not giving her up till they were both breathless, "Hello," he breathed, pulling away.

"Hello," she smiled up at him playfully.

"What was that for?" he asked, reaching up to stroke her cheek, "Not that I mind," he added, "That was...words fail me Nella."

She gave a small laugh at that, shaking her head slightly as she looked at him, pure happiness in her eyes as she gazed at him that made his hearts skip a beat, "For being the most amazing Mate, loving father, and mad Doctor ever," she replied simply, giving him another peck, "You're _brilliant_ with her, you know."

"Well," he shrugged, flushing, "Seems she's as much of an angel as her mother, makes it very easy."

She shook her head and took his hand, turning to lead him down the hall, towards the console room, "I have something for you," she told him, walking over to the small steps that led up to the secondary controls. She picked up something and walked back, a small little box in her hand, she looked down at it a moment before holding it up to him, "Merry Christmas."

"What is it?" he asked, taking it.

"Open it love," she smiled, hiding her thoughts so he wouldn't see ahead of time what it was.

He grinned at her and yanked the silver bow and tore the white paper off the little box with less than a fraction of Ayla's patience, tossing the pieces over his shoulder and opening the box. His eyes widened as his expression softened at the gift lying within it. He gently reached in to pick up the item in the box...and pulled a small chain with a pendent on the end out. It was a piece of metal, cut in the shape of an angel with a second smaller angel engraved into the metal in gold, as though standing in front of the larger angel with its arms wrapped around the smaller one, the same stance he'd noticed Angel and Ayla seemed to take when they were close. The size of it, the cut, it was a very simple, yet also a very masculine necklace.

He looked up at her.

"To remember us by," Angel whispered, echoing one of his last words to her before he'd regenerated.

His gaze drifted down to the Whitepoint Star necklace she still wore over her white and blue stripped top, unable to describe how thankful he was that she had continued to wear it, despite all he'd done to her, she hadn't once taken it off. She hadn't once thrown it away, and that meant the world to him.

Angel reached out, taking the pendant him, seeing his mind drifting to darker places, and lifted it, draping it over his head so it fell just above his heart.

He leaned forward and kissed her deeply in thanks for his rather spectacular and touching gift, now he would always have his girls with him, protecting him and watching over him wherever he went. Not that he would really need that, he was fully intent to NEVER let them too far away from him.

"Which brings me to your gift," he said softly, pulling away. He took her hand and led her to the monitor of the TARDIS, positioning her before it as he stood behind her. He leaned forward, his finger hovering just above one of the buttons, "Merry Christmas," he kissed her cheek before pressing the button and stepping back.

Angel blinked as the monitor flashed to life.

"Hello!" the Doctor appeared, smiling at the camera as he waved, a fez firmly on his head. Angel frowned, a bit confused, when he continued, "Yes, hello me…"

Her eyes widened as she looked at him behind her, shocked. He just grinned and put a finger to his lips before pointing at the recording once more.

"So!" the image clapped, "You're probably wondering why I'm sitting here talking to you, well…you may find that you've forgotten some things with regeneration so I've programmed the TARDIS to play this for you…me…us…if that happens," he tweaked his bowtie, "First things first, I just wanted to tell you that Angel…" his gaze softened, "Our beautiful Angel, is the most fantastic woman in the Universes, the most incredible Mate ever, and a wonderful mother to our daughter Ayla."

Angel let out a breath at his words, the Doctor had threatened to do something like this, record a message for himself if ever he should forget her again, but she _never_ imagined…

"Second of all...River Song," the recording's expression turned bitter, as though he'd tasted something sour or smelled something rather foul, "Well…we should just stay away from her. Don't like her, do we, me? Won't get into the details," he tried to wave it off, "Angel would be rather cross if we speak badly of her… _eventhoughshedeservesit_!" he added quickly at the end.

Angel shook her head at him, at least he had taken that into account at least, that she truly didn't want him to _hate_ River. _She_ couldn't even hate the woman and SHE had been the one that River had shot and tormented the entire time. But…the fact he was warning himself _away_ from River, and who else would he believe but himself if he did ever forget again, she couldn't help but feel relieved that he _was_ trying to make himself wary of her…

"And third and final…" the recorded Doctor continued, "Well, why tell you, when I can show you?" the image cut out, of the Doctor smiling...and Angel's eyes widened, seeing images filter slowly across the screen.

It was picture upon picture of her and the Doctor in the TARDIS but it wasn't just that which made her breath catch in her throat or her eyes fill with tears…it was the fact that it was their _previous_ incarnations. Every incarnation since she'd regenerated in Van Staten's museum along with all the last few Doctors. And it was all images of them...together, either sitting snuggled up together, or kissing, or dancing…so many moments she'd thought she'd lost, all of them were right there for the Doctor to see, all of them leaving no doubt in the viewer's mind that the pair being displayed were NOT just 'mates' but _Mates_.

"How…" she breathed, shaking her head, unable to form a complete sentence.

"The TARDIS is an 11-dimensional being," the Doctor explained softly, seeing the tears gathering in her eyes, "When I started making this recording, she decided to help…" he watched as she smiled, seeing all the images of them, being less than platonic in nature, "When I finished, these popped up. I think…she looked back into her past, to what happened within these walls and captured them in these images for us."

"Thank you Sissy," she whispered, stroking the console, "For helping him," the TARDIS hummed and even the Doctor could tell it was a happy hum. She turned to him and laughed a bit, "Happy crying," she wiped her eyes with her sleeves.

"Get used to it," he warned her lightly, "Because there will _never_ _ever_ be anymore sad crying," he promised her, crossing both his hearts with his two hands.

She laughed and leapt at him, hugging him tightly, his own arms moving to lock around her, as she buried her face into the side of his neck, him moving his head into her hair as he inhaled her scent...before he started to sway them gently.

"...I just want you for my own..."

She gasped, hearing the Doctor starting to _sing_ softly in her ear, making her hearts both clench painfully and soar at the old tradition that she'd honestly forgotten about after so long of not having done it.

"More than you could _ever_ know," he continued, swaying them, pulling her closer as he felt her tremble in his arms, "Make my wish come true," he reached out and gently placed a curled finger under her chin, lifting her head to look at him, "All I want for Christmas is you," he told her, meaning _every word_ , his hand moving up to her cheek, stroking it, his thumb wiping away a tear as it fell from her eye, " _All_ I want for Christmas...is _you._ "

He barely let her catch her breath before he leaned in and kissed him deeply, the two of them smiling into it as the TARDIS disappeared into the Vortex as Christmas faded to a close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be honest, how many of you squealed a little when the Doctor started singing again? I know I did ;) Awww, Ayla got her Aslan after all and the Time Lords got to see their family, and survived Christmas and fluff! I was really debating between having this be the last chapter or First/Last Night, but...for some reason, I really wanted to show the new Angel around River ;)
> 
> So the next (and last! OMG!) chapter will be First/Last Night and we'll find out the title of the next story too ;) I'm actually really excited for it, to see the different ways River reacts to Angel at different points in her life :)
> 
> And now we know Ayla's name! ^-^ I can say that it'll be brought up later, but I wanted to put here that, the reason she's named 'Kitta' is because, in my mind, it means 'treasure' in Gallifreyan ;)


	51. First Night & Last Night

"Why not?" Angel asked as she followed the Doctor around the console, flipping down levers as he pulled them up, turning knobs back, unpushing buttons. He was rather actively trying to keep them in the Vortex despite her pleas to land in a very...specific place. She'd just...been thinking about it ever since Christmas and she really wanted to try and give a small gift of her own to someone she believed needed it.

"Because!" he nearly snapped at her, more angry with the request and what it would mean than with her, "I say so."

Angel, not even slightly stung by his snap, merely let out a soft laugh, "You say so? Have you any idea how childish that sounds?"

The Doctor sighed, hearing not only the familiar words the TARDIS herself had said to him, but also hearing the TARDIS humming around them in what he could only guess was agreement.

"Sissy agrees," Angel nodded, reading his thoughts, "She says, if you want to say no, you need a better excuse than that," she eyed him intently before walking over to him, "Theta," she said as he looked up at her, "Why don't you want to do this?"

He always said that he could rarely deny her anything, she wasn't using that against him, not at all, she knew there were times where he couldn't do something because of other reasons, like how she'd asked him not to hate River...he'd refused, because River really had done terrible things in the past, and he just couldn't let go of all the harm she'd do. But there were times when she was curious as to why he said no to things, she just wanted to understand. This was one of those moments where HE was keeping something from HER.

"I just…" he shook his head, "I don't want her to join us," he looked over at Angel, taking in her appearance. He himself was dressed in a white suit jacket and black formals, while she was gorgeous as ever in a lovely light blue evening gown that seemed like a strapless gown with a sheer, lacy, long-sleeved portion over it, her hair up in a French twist. The blue, even being lighter than the typical TARDIS blue color she loved to wear, brought out her blue eyes even more. She just...looked beautiful, "You look beautiful," he had to tell her, also because he was hoping it might distract her.

"Nice try, my love," she laughed, reaching out to take his hands, "You look quite dashing, but no matter how good you look," she saw him starting to smirk at that, pleased that she found him attractive, "That won't put me off my stride," she warned, shaking her head as though confused, "She's travelled with us before though, Easter Island, Jim the Fish…why is now any different?"

"Because she didn't kill you then!" he shouted. She blinked at him and he realized how foolish that last statement was, River had technically 'killed' her before those adventures, she'd killed her in Berlin for only a moment, but she HAD, "I mean, yes I know, she poisoned you, but…in the end…you were fine," he reached out and touched her cheek, _needing_ to touch her, needing to make sure she was still there and he hadn't gone completely barking mad and was just imaging her standing before him, "You made it. That time it was all a blur and her conditioning and her training and getting the wrong target, she saved you," he grimaced at the reason why, "Because it would save me. But _last_ time…" he shook his head, swallowing hard as he looked down at the console, his hand having moved to rest on a lever, gripping it tightly, "Last time she shot you, she KILLED you, because she KNEW she could do it without killing me, there was nothing to stop her and..." he trailed off, shaking his head, not wanting to think about that, not wanting to remember that moment.

If there was a single moment he wished he _could_ erase from his memory, it wouldn't be the War, it wouldn't be the time-lock, it would be seeing Angel standing at that lake as River shot her, seeing her regeneration (or what he thought it was) kicking in and then stopping when River fired the killing blows (or what he thought was killing blows). Even now, even just thinking about it brought tears to his eyes to realize how close he'd come to losing his Mate. If Angel hadn't been strong enough, if, in the 200 years they'd been looking for Ayla, she hadn't grown stronger in the Vortex...she really and truly could have _died_.

A moment later a hand appeared on his, he turned to Angel allowing her to take his hand in hers once more.

"It was different when she was programmed to kill _me_ , she didn't know any better, she'd just come from her training, taught how to kill a Time Lord, and she _did_ save you in the end. But that last time...she CHOSE to kill you when she had the chance to make sure that I'd live on after. She saw an opportunity and she took it. And that makes it SO much worse."

"But I was fine in the end then as well," she reminded him softly.

"But what if she tries again?" he breathed, and she could hear a real and genuine fear in his voice.

She knew that the last time she'd regenerated, forcing him to believe it was the _last time_ he'd ever see her, it hurt him, it scared him more than he was ever willing to admit. And she truly felt terrible for having done it, even if they both knew it was necessary to protect their family. It still made her hearts break to remember the look on his face, the utterly devastated and shattered expression he'd worn when she'd stepped into the TARDIS before she'd regenerated. She never EVER wanted to see that look on his face again.

"Then I'll see it coming," she reassured him.

He let out a small laugh, "You've said it yourself, you can't see everything," he sighed, closing his eyes as he seemed to need to physically remind himself of something important, "You regenerated."

"Yes, my love," she let out a little laugh as well, "I'm aware," she let go of his hand and stepped closer, draping her arms over his shoulders, "And, to be quite honest, I'm rather glad for it."

His eyes shot open as he looked at her, startled, "Why?!"

She gave him a small smile, "This one is braver," she nodded, determining that, _sure_ of that, and he could feel himself smile at the words he'd said to _her_ so long ago coming back in her, "This one isn't afraid to face what's coming, to stand up for herself, even against River," she looked meaningfully into his eyes, so that he would see the truth in them, the promise in them as she spoke again, "And besides, I'll _never_ lie to you again, so you'll know if I'm plotting something, and you can help me. If there's one person I trust to keep me safe, it's _you_."

"Bang up job I've done so far," he muttered.

She reached out and cupped his cheek, lifting his head to face her, "You saved me from Kovarian," she reminded him, "From River, from myself, from my fears and doubts, you _saved_ me," she stroked his cheek, "You gave me a reason to live again."

He smiled a bit at that, "Ayla."

"Alright, two reasons," she leaned in, brushing her nose against his, "Ayla, and you," she waited a moment before adding, "And we know we have other adventures with River, we must stick to the established timeline..."

"Timelines be damned," he muttered but she gave him a look. He sighed and rested his forehead against hers once more, "Why are you so determined to see her come with us?"

"Because she missed Christmas," she said simply, and he pulled back slightly to give her a confused look, "Christmas is a time for family, and being together, and...she wasn't there. She refused to go see Amy, because _we_ were there. I just...no one should be alone at Christmas, not even River. And, I think..." she hesitated a moment, "I think she could use happiness in her life, kindness. I can't imagine that the Silence were kind to her as she grew up. She only had Amy and Rory, and you can see how we might have taken them away from her yes?"

He shook his head, "She took herself away from them when she shot you!" he countered.

"Theta," she gave him another look. Amy had been dreaming of travelling with them since before she met Mels, and Rory had and would go along with what Amy wanted. Even as a child...'Mels' had still come in second to them.

He could only stare at her and shake his head, "How are you so kind to her, after all she did?"

She gave him a smile, "My mother used to tell me that, sometimes, the people who show no kindness, are the ones who need it most of all."

He sighed, "Oh alright," he gave in, though he wasn't very happy about it, "Let's go get River."

"Good," she moved to the console, starting to set controls.

"But for _one_ trip only!" he warned, wagging a finger at her.

"That was all I wanted," she nodded.

She really had, just one trip, a Christmas gift for the woman. She just...she felt like there were events and occasions that people did deserve gifts for, small things, like holidays, birthdays...she just...she wanted to try and show River that...people _did_ care for her, that she _wasn't_ alone. She knew how that felt more than anyone and she wouldn't wish that on her worst enemy. And...she also knew...if they kept pushing her away, they'd push her right back into the arms of the Silence, and...she _still_ felt guilty that the woman had ended up in their clutches the first time because of her and her interference.

"I'm going to get Ayla," the Doctor called, which DID make her pause in her actions.

"She's sleeping love," she reminded him again. While most adult Time Lords didn't need much sleep, the younger ones did need roughly the same amount as a human. As they grew they would need less and less, but for now their daughter needed her sleep, "And wouldn't it be better for us to get these adventures with River out of the way while Ayla's sleeping?"

He shook his head, "Ayla wouldn't want to miss this and…" he trailed a moment before taking a breath, "And River will have to get used to seeing us with Ayla, the sooner she realizes that we are a _family_ and _nothing_ will ever change that, the better."

Angel smiled at him softly, unable to argue with that, with spending 'family time' with their daughter, "Oh alright, go wake her."

He beamed, jogging over to her to give her a quick kiss, or two, or three, before dashing off with a grin, making her laugh, shaking her head and getting to work on the controls once more.

~8~

It was raining outside of Stormcage as River Song sat in her cell, writing in her diary.

~8~

Angel looked up, sensing her daughter awake and pulled a lever, landing the TARDIS.

~8~

River looked up, hearing the familiar wheezing echoing in her cell and got up with a grin, she KNEW he wouldn't be able to keep away.

~8~

The doors opened and River walked in, a large, satisfied grin on her face...which faded rather quickly into a scowl when she spotted _Angel_ standing at the controls and not the Doctor. She stopped dead, just staring at her, "You're still alive?!"

She should have _known_ the Angel would survive, that the Doctor would never let his precious Mate die. And even if he hadn't anything to do with it, his reluctance to allow Angel to do what she had planned was proof enough that he'd thought she really would die and he could do nothing to save her, she should have known that Angel would escape. No one _ever_ seemed to realize just how sneaky that woman was! Everyone always underestimated her, but not HER, no, she was fully aware of what Angel was capable of, which was why she was so infuriated to see her still alive, she should have KNOWN.

Because she'd realized, she'd made the promise that she wouldn't kill Angel in the future...because she'd honestly thought that all the Angels she met in the future, in her _personal_ future, would be the past versions of the woman. How could she kill Angel THEN if she needed a future Angel to be there at the lake for her to _really_ kill? She'd thought she'd just 'kill' her little by little, especially when she encountered a Doctor who had forgotten the woman, flirt with him, tease him, kiss him, seduce him...all the while poor little simpering Angel just stood there and watched, unable to stop it.

And now... _now_ she was realizing, she wouldn't just be meeting 'past Angels' now, but future ones as well?! And she couldn't even kill her THEN either! The Doctor had the bracelet, Lord knew where he might be hiding it, for all she knew they'd destroyed it. And then where would she be? Kill Angel now? Kill a future her, and the Doctor would still die! Worse yet...she had thought she was serving time for a murder, an honest and true murder...and she STILL couldn't tell them that Angel was alive now, because then the Silence would go after the Doctor too!

Why couldn't she just die at the lake!?

She took a breath, trying not to let on how frustrated she was, to see Angel standing there and not the devastated and grieving Doctor who would finally seek her out for comfort or confrontation, a confrontation she was sure she could spin words around and make him at least pause in killing her. Oh she'd had it all planned out, exactly how to get to him, how to manipulate him, make him listen to her, _empathize_ with her 'suffering' at the Silence's hand, make him feel she was a _victim_ of it all...make him feel sorry for her. Eventually sorry would grow to protectiveness, protectiveness to attachment, attachment to love...and then he'd be hers! She KNEW he'd be hers.

But now? Angel was still alive and she couldn't even kill her properly!

She'd just have to bide her time, see what other opportunities might arise...actually...she saw one just now as she walked up the stairs towards the console, seeing the Doctor nowhere in sight but a metallic, golden dress hanging on a hanger before her, "The Doctor certainly picked out a daring dress for me," she remarked, a smirk starting to form on her face when...

"It's not for you!" the Doctor shouted, he and Ayla walking down the stairs from the halls, hand-in-hand. Ayla dressed in a forest green, long-sleeved velvet dress that went to her knees, white legging on underneath with little black shoes.

River's eyes widened at the sight, before her expression set into a scowl at seeing the little girl. She just needed one look to know who it was, it was 'Ayla' the prime subject of the Silence, the one she'd been made as a replacement for. It...made her heart twist to see the Doctor holding the girl's hand, the girl being so happy. Ayla had managed to escape, SHE hadn't, SHE'D been forced into existence because of the little brat. Though...she supposed she had to be grateful in part, without Ayla's escaping, SHE wouldn't exist and she would never have learned about the Doctor.

Angel rolled her eyes and turned to them, "And I told you, my love, I am _not_ wearing that dress."

He gave her a grin, "Oh I think you will one day."

She smiled a bit, "Oh, are you psychic now?"

He laughed, taking her hand and pulling her close as he wound an arm around her, "Seems you're rubbing off on me," and then he moved just a bit, rubbing against her a moment, very much enjoying the warmth it created between them.

"Are we going out?" River called, interrupting them as she crossed her arms, rather irritated that she'd apparently been invited somewhere but was being ignored.

The Doctor closed his eyes a moment, reminding himself that he _had_ to do this for the sake of the timelines and tried to act as causally and civilly as he could with a psychopath determined to off his wife and marry him standing a few feet away, "How's Stormcage?" he turned to the controls to distract himself and also to remind her that they were very much aware of what she'd done and where she was.

"I'm on the first night of 12,000 consecutive life sentences that apparently are null and void," she deadpanned, shooting a glare at Angel, "Kind of early to say," before she smiled at the Doctor, moving to lean on the console beside him, "Where are we going?"

But he just turned away, moving to the other end of the console, much to River's ire.

"Calderon Beta," Angel replied as she scooped Ayla up into her arms.

"Boring," the Doctor spun around and rushed back to his Mate, tickling his daughter in the stomach a moment, "Planet of the chip shops, but!" he walked past them around the console, "There is a 400 foot tree growing out of a cliff top on the northern side of a mountain in the middle of the sea. And, if you take the lift to the top, and look up at exactly 12 minutes past midnight on the 21st of September, 2360, you can see more stars in one sky than at any other moment in the history of the Universe," he grinned as his daughter, making his way back around to them, "It's like daylight, only _magic_ ," she beamed at him, "What do you think about that sweetheart?"

Ayla squirmed excitedly till Angel put her down and she ran to her father, hugging his knees till he knelt before her, letting her hug him properly, "Wonderful!" she cheered.

"They say it's so bright you can read in it," Angel commented to River, having felt just a bit guilty that the woman had been left out of the Doctor's explanation.

"Is it ok if I don't?" River glared.

And the guilt disappeared, "That's perfectly fine if you don't," she said simply, which seemed to make River's lips purse at how she hadn't flinched or turned away or gotten upset or quiet. She just reached out and pulled a lever, continuing to pilot the old box.

"We've got 10 minutes," the Doctor remarked, doing his best not to glare right back at the woman for her snidenss against his Mate, "Get dressed."

"Oh that's _so_ close to the perfect sentence," River sighed playfully.

"Already gave the perfect sentence to Angel last night," he countered, taking enormous pleasure in the souring expression on River's face at his words, seeing her work out exactly what that sentence was and what it had likely led to, before walking to Angel's side while holding Ayla's hand, "Didn't I dear?" he smirked at Angel.

Angel, though, flushed, "Doctor!"

Ayla tugged at the hem of her mother's dress, "What was the perfect sentence mummy?"

Angel gave the Doctor a look, silently telling him to distract their daughter, and so he quickly turned to River, "Did you bring the diary?"

River walked around the other side of the console as he did the same, leaving Angel on the one end to help park the TARDIS, "It's a diary?" she held it up.

"It is now because, River, from now on, there are rules…" the Doctor began.

She smirked, starting to flip through it, "Oh you've gone all strict," she winked at him, "Love that."

"Will you STOP that," he hissed at her, trying to speak quietly so that Angel and Ayla, only across the console wouldn't hear him, "You are NOT my Mate River, can't you see that?! You will NEVER be. You CAN never be."

Her eyes narrowed, "And why NOT?" she hissed right back.

He shook his head at her, "You have no idea what a Mate even _is_ do you?" he scoffed, "Well let me explain it, a Mate is the one person so bound to your soul that you _cannot_ be without them. You can read their mind, you can feel their emotions, you can sense their presence in your hearts...they are the single most important person in your life and they complete you in a way _no one_ _else_ can. THAT is what a Mate is, and THAT is Angel, not YOU."

"What, just because I'm human?" she put her hands on her hips.

"Because you're not Angel," he said simply.

River rolled her eyes at that, all she heard was 'meh, meh, meh, Angel this, Angel that, meh, meh, meh, you're human, meh, meh, meh.' Honestly, the man was so blinded by this Mating thing that he couldn't see how trapped he was, could he?

"And because you're not Angel, you need to use that," he gestured at the book in her hands, turning to the console to work the controls again, glancing across it to see that Angel and Ayla hadn't noticed his 'cross moment' with River, Angel showing Ayla a lever, "River, the three of us, it's all in the wrong order, we never meet in sequence. You put everything in the diary so we know where we are."

As much as he was loath to admit it, River had already happened for them, all the things she said or didn't say, the things she kept hidden...all her secrets and spoilers had shaped the course of their lives. She had to be aware of who he and Angel were, where they were in the timelines, because he knew she'd likely keep the same secrets and give the same spoilers as before. Having worked out River's little scheme to tear him and Angel apart...he couldn't help but realize if she saw how shortsighted it all was. She would plot to tear them apart, yet they were proof, at Demons Run, in Egypt, that her plans would fail! He knew she'd still try them, not even because of the timelines, because what she did would get them to where they were now, but...because River would honestly think she had a chance in tearing them away from each other. She still thought that she'd be able to influence them in their past, that she'd do something differently than her previous/future selves had, when really...she'd be doing the exact same they all had done.

And it _still_ wouldn't work.

"Put what in the diary?" River sighed, rolling her eyes, pulling him from his thoughts, "Sweetie, I'm in the highest security prison in all of the known Universe."

"Don't call me sweetie," he snapped, recalling what happened the last time she'd called him sweetie. All he could see was them at the top of the pyramid, him and Angel sharing what he thought would be their last moment, before River shot his Mate in the hearts...

Angel walked over to him, seeing and feeling where his thoughts had gone, and took his hand, squeezing it lightly to remind him she was still there.

He sighed, lifting her hand to kiss her palm, smiling as she stroked his cheek with her thumb as she touched his face afterwards, "If you want a change of clothes, there's plenty in the wardrobe," he told River even though he didn't take his eyes off Angel.

"First right, second left," Ayla tried to offer a smile at the intimidating woman whose hair seemed like it was trying to eat her. Though she _did_ keep back, sitting on the jump seat, not really wanting to get too close to the River woman...she didn't seem like a good person but she knew what her mother was trying to do even if her daddy didn't see it...what her parents had both done for a mean old man on a distant planet once, try to make River a better person, try to show her kindness in the hopes that it would help heal her from the sadness of her past.

She didn't know if it would work, but she had faith in her mother that something good would come from it.

The Doctor gave a proud smile to his daughter, pointing at her, "Just past the helter-skelter."

River nodded and walked past them, bumping her arm into Angel's as she passed with a bit more force than was necessary. Angel just shook her head sadly at the woman, not as hurt or timid as she would have felt but just...pitying, that River held so much anger and hatred towards her. She truly _did_ feel bad for everything that happened to her, knowing in her heart of hearts that it could have just as easily been her daughter shoving past them…

The Doctor squeezed her hand, having not let go of it, sensing her thoughts as easily as she had his. She looked up at him and offered him a small smile. He grinned and leaned forward, dropping a kiss on her forehead. He was just about to turn back to the console...when they heard a thump at the doors. He frowned, looking past her at it as the sounds of a _gun fight_ reached them.

"Stay here!" he shouted at them as he dashed down the stairs and over to the doors.

~8~

Just outside the TARDIS, another River, slightly older, dressed in her olive-green Silence garb, tried desperately to get into the box, knowing that no matter how much the box didn't like her, it wouldn't leave her out there to be killed.

~8~

The Doctor threw a door open and pulled the Second River into the TARDIS, "River!?"

Oh this was NOT good.

"I knew you'd come back here, you nostalgic idiot," the Second River breathed, "Hold me!" and fainted dead in his arms.

The Doctor's eyes widened and he...immediately dropped her to the ground, a great deal less than carefully.

"Doctor!" Angel chastised, rushing down the steps and over to them, kneeling beside the woman to check on her while Ayla walked to her father's side, watching her mummy care for the mean lady, "River?"

The Doctor nodded, catching the girl's thoughts, "That's your mummy," he agreed, taking her hand and squeezing it, "An angel incarnate."

"Oh hush," Angel called, though the smile on her face made him grin, "River are you ok?" she tried again. She reached out, about to check the woman's pulse, before pausing, she blinked and sat back on her legs, "She's holding her breath."

The Second River opened her eyes, frowning at Angel, quite annoyed, "What no kiss of life?" she rolled her eyes to smirk at the Doctor.

"Get up!" he snapped, the smile gone, "What are you _doing_ here?" he glared at her as Angel stood and jogged up to the console, pulling a lever to send them off, get them away from the shooting Sontarans who would likely try to break through the doors next, while the Doctor dealt with her, "Who's shooting at you?"

"Oh just a few Sontarans," she stood, brushing some dust off her dress, "Chased me halfway across the galaxy. I probably shouldn't have asked them if they were on a hen night."

"River you can't _do_ things like that!" he glared, "And you can't just expect that we'll help you!"

"Oh right," she rolled her eyes, "Like you, of all people, would just leave me there."

His jaw tensed, "I will _not_ put you above my family's safety," he informed her, though the look in her eyes told him it was something he had possibly said to her numerous times already, she seemed rather irritated, "Next time you get caught in a gun fight find some other TARDIS to run to or…"

"Or what?" she challenged, crossing her arms as she wore a glare of her own now.

She was frustrated to no end over his whole 'family' issues. The last time she'd been there he'd basically flaunted their happiness in front of her, made it crystal clear that he was _only_ allowing her to come under Angel's request, and then brought the brat along, barely paid any attention to her the entire night…it was grating her nerves! She'd honestly rather be in Stormcage, alone, than to see him with his little 'happy family.' Honestly, did he NOT see what Angel was doing?!

Oh that woman was clever, tricky and clever. By getting the Doctor to let her out of Stormcage for her birthday or Christmas or something, he 'fell more in love with her' all the while it meant that SHE had to suffer through watching Angel and the Doctor being cozy and close with their daughter tagging along. Couldn't he see that Angel was flaunting it in front of her? The fact that she had 'won' the Doctor, that she had him and the child and the life SHE deserved to have! Oh but she was just...biding her time, Angel may have won the battle, but the war was still being waged, even if the girl didn't see it. She just...

Had to be careful.

She had to be _very_ careful around the girl. She'd managed it, an adventure with the Doctor, one he didn't remember the Time Lady during, oh it was... _wonderful_. She had to be careful, the Doctor, while oblivious, was still...well, he still had a sense of Angel about him, he...noticed things. She had to be careful with her looks and her comments and her actions, make sure that he saw her as the flirty time traveler that could hold her own against him, was just as clever as he was, and far more sneaky. All the while, making sure she got closer and closer, pulled him farther and farther away from Angel, and Angel...oh she was very careful in schooling her expressions around her, in trying not to let her true dislike of the girl shine through, just...making sure that only Angel saw those looks, heard those comments.

It was so much fun! But still...she had to be careful, more careful than she had been as a younger woman, she couldn't risk the Doctor seeing how much she hated Angel. He was still...protective of her, he still didn't like people shouting at her or threatening her and if he saw the true extent of the things she could say or do to Angel behind his back...he'd likely be more wary around her. Her younger self had, thankfully, only been around the Doctor after he'd remembered, so he was well aware, at that point how deep her dislike of the woman ran. Now though, she could feel it, she was getting closer to the man who had forgotten, and then...all she had to do was turn his attention away, break him of his protective streak over the Time Lady, and she'd be...fantastic.

"You've already had me banged up in jail for 5 years, what else are you gonna do?" she glanced at Angel, seeing her older incarnation, even more proof that this was a Doctor who remembered as well, but still...she could have a bit of fun, she WAS her mother's daughter, she was naturally flirty, "Spank me?"

He held up a finger, "Don't you da…"

"Doctor…" she cut in, spotting the metallic colored dress, "You brought someone else here, didn't you?!" she spun around to glare at him.

Probably another companion, her fist clenched at her sides, he was _always_ taking on other companions, people he hardly knew and yet _she_ , the daughter of his and Angel's companions, was never even considered to be one! In the back of her mind she knew he had a reason, if she had an opportunity she'd probably try to find that blasted bracelet he kept hiding and get rid of Angel somehow. She had actually...mellowed...slightly over the years and her time at Stormcage.

Killing Angel wasn't an active thought anymore, it wasn't something she continuously tried to work out.

No.

 _Torturing_ Angel was more in the forefront now.

She didn't want to kill Angel, no, year after year, adventure after adventure, being made all too aware of Angel's hand in it, in her small releases from her cell, seeing the woman happy and trying to be so _nice_ to her and really just manipulating everyone...even HER! It just...she didn't want Angel to die, no she wanted her to suffer first. And the only way to do that was through her family. She knew that the past companions were out of grasp, they knew about her, they knew what she'd done, Ayla was too well guarded, the TARDIS too set against her, so that just left...the Doctor. Obviously she couldn't hurt him, but she could influence him. If she succeeded, if she managed to get the Doctor away from Angel...that would be the best victory ever.

She just had to bide her time.

"No one ever agrees to wear that dress!" she snapped before storming off up the stairs, "Where is she?"

"Who our companions are is _no_ business of yours," Angel called, having an idea of where the woman's mind had gone and, even though the other River _wasn't_ their companion, she felt like she had to remind River of that.

Because really, it _wasn't_ any of her business. They took their companions for reasons, for potential, for the adventure. It really _did_ take a special sort of person to do what they did and see what they did and still be able to continue and help time after time. As much as it pained her to say...River Song just...wasn't right for that title. The woman had access to time and space at times, with her Vortex Manipulator, she had been free of the Silence at University they knew, she could have done anything with her life, helped so many other people...and she chose murder.

The Doctor...yes, he'd committed crimes before, races and planets had suffered, people had died, less so with her around, but...he felt _enormous guilt_ each time, crushing guilt.

River didn't.

The Second River turned to glare at her, "I'll find out soon enough!" she nearly spat, "This happened the last time we were here. You brought someone else!"

"No we didn't!" the Doctor shouted, walking up to the console.

Ayla had situated herself on the jump seat once more, kicking her little legs as she watched the adults interact. The mean lady was a very curious person, she acted as though she had a right to be there, yet her parents had never invited her as a companion, they didn't treat her like one, and yet she strut about as though she was more deserving to be there. She could tell it bothered her father, saddened her mother, and she could hear the TARDIS as well, the box wasn't exactly pleased to have her there either. But...she could also tell, as mean as the lady was...she was also...sad. It was like...she knew something she didn't want to know, like she was trying to ignore it, and it was just making her sad and angry each time it was brought up.

She didn't know what it was, but she felt like it involved her parents, and maybe even her as well. But why would the three of them upset her so much?

"Yes you did!" River turned and stormed off, "I heard you talking to her!"

"It's the same night!"

"Doctor!" the First River entered up the bottom stairs, arms full of clothes, "Were you talking to someone?" she couldn't help but feel a bit angry at the thought. She knew that she had been invited to the sickening family outing, but to invite _another person_!

"No," he sighed, rubbing his forehead, "No, just…the TARDIS."

The TARDIS hummed in contempt at being even that distantly compared to River Song.

The First River eyed him a moment before turning and walking back.

"Were you talking to someone?!" the Second River appeared at the top of the stairs, glaring.

"No," he shook his head, feeling a _tremendous_ migraine setting, he'd agreed to _one_ River Song, not two! "No, just the TARDIS."

The Second River spun on her heel and strode off again.

"Wonderful," the Doctor rubbed his forehead, turning to Angel to see her eyeing the doors, before he took her hand, "Are you alright?" he had to ask, knowing that having two Rivers there had to be equally as hard for her.

Angel had just opened her mouth to answer...when the doors to the TARDIS opened and _another_ older River entered, dressed in a slinky black dress. She grinned widely, seeing the Doctor standing at the controls, "You nostalgic idiot…" she replied, her voice sultry, "You just can't keep away can…" she trailed off, her saucy smirk fading when he turned around to face her, moving to the side so she could see Angel standing there, his arm automatically moving around her waist. Her jaw tensed as she tried not to let on how frustrated she was to see them together.

"River," Angel called, feeling the Doctor nearing a breakdown, "Would you mind terribly checking the bulb?" she pointed up, "Has it burnt out yet?"

The Third River lifted an eyebrow at that, "The bulb?" she scoffed before shaking her head and...walking out to check, surprising them that that was ALL she did, that she'd actually gone to do it. She'd recently tried to get on the Doctor's good side by being, she swallowed bile at the thought, _nice_ to Angel. It seemed it wasn't working very well, he seemed able to see her ploy and was even more distrustful of her.

"Who are you talking to?!" the Second River stormed down the stairs, hearing the door shut.

"You," the Doctor turned to her, pulling out his sonic, fed up with all this, "Back to Stormcage Dr. Song," he walked over and grabbed her wrist, sonicing it.

"Oh at least give me a lift. You know what this thing does to my hair!"

"It doesn't do anything, it's always like that," Ayla remarked with a small laugh. And it truly was. She'd now seen a Younger, a Middle, and an Older River Song and all three had the same hair.

The Second River opened her mouth to snap at the girl when the Doctor dropped her hand and she disappeared in a crackle of light, her words cut off before she could speak them.

He'd just started to smile, thinking they'd gotten rid of the Rivers...when the door opened again.

"The light's fine," the Third River sighed, walking in, "I don't know what you're talking about…"

"River that's not the right TARDIS," Angel's voice said a moment before a second her walked in after River...her current incarnation, dressed in the golden metallic dress.

"We're parked around back," the current Doctor appeared as well, in a black suit and top hat. He slowed down, stopping as they spotted the two of them. He grinned widely, taking his Angel's hand and pointed at them, "Younger versions," he greeted.

"Two of you," River breathed, still just a bit stunned to see them, though they could see her gaze lingering on the Doctor, "The mind races, does it not?"

The Doctor grinned and pointed at his older self, ignoring River for the moment, "I see we were right?"

The future Doctor looked at his Angel and appreciated the dress she was wearing till she lightly smacked him on the chest. He just caught her hand, lifting it to kiss the back of it, before he turned back to his past self, "Oh yes we were," he glanced past them to see Ayla walking to them slowly, her eyes wide as she saw _two_ sets of her parents, "Had some help convincing her," he winked at Ayla who giggled.

"She's asleep in the TARDIS," the future Angel called to herself, seeing her about to open her mouth to ask that, remembering she'd been about to ask that, "It's _far_ past her bedtime," she grinned, "We don't _always_ let him get away with waking her in the middle of the night."

Angel laughed, "Good to know," before affectionately running her fingers through her daughter's hair as she stood beside them, her hair down and clipped on one side with a light blue bowtie in the style much like Angel usually wore, out of its little pigtails for the moment.

"Come on," the future Doctor nudged his Angel, nuzzling his nose along the side of her face, making his Angel smile, "We'll be late."

The Doctor grinned at the action, SO pleased and relieved to know that he and Angel were still as close as ever.

The Third River however rolled her eyes, "We're going to the Singing Towers of Darillium!" she turned and walked off, "The Doctor's been talking about taking me there for ages!" she winked back at Angel, as though...trying to seem like she'd won something, that she'd managed to get the Doctor excited to take HER somewhere...

But all of them knew the truth about the Towers, what they meant, and River clearly had no idea.

The Doctor blinked, looking at the couple before him as they shared a tense look, knowing River had just given away another tidbit on the future, "The first time we met her at the Library, when she…"

"Died," the future Angel sighed and looked back at them.

"She said the last time she saw us was at Darillium…" the Doctor recalled.

Angel squeezed his hand as Ayla looked at them curiously, "That's what you're doing now," she looked at them.

The future Doctor opened his mouth, the word 'about' forming on his lips when his Angel nudged him, giving him a small look. He sighed, offering them, "Spoilers," instead.

"Good luck tonight," the future Angel smiled at them, giving an encouraging nod to her counterpart.

While it wouldn't be easy to deal with River, they did still feel as though they were responsible for her, as much as they felt like they owed her for the Library. River wouldn't be...easy to be around, but her encouraging nod was more than enough for them to realize that, whatever River tried, she was strong enough to face now, strong enough to stop.

She nodded, "And you."

They gave themselves a nod before heading back to the door.

"Oh!" the First River gasped as she walked back up the stairs with the clothes she'd selected, "There's two of you! The mind races!"

"Well," the Doctor cleared his throat, turning to take the clothes from River.

It was…enlightening, that encounter. As he looked at River now, a tiny (a VERY tiny) part of him was reminded she would die for them, for _Angel_ , in the Library. That she would finally realize what he'd been trying to tell her all along, what he had literally told her flat out, that he loved Angel, more than anything, that it was his CHOICE to be with her, and that River would, because of that, finally do the right thing, do what was best not just for him...but for Angel. Yes, she'd taken his place to save him, but...equally, he'd heard it in her voice, seen it in her expression, she'd done it so that _Angel_ wouldn't suffer him dying either. She'd done it to save Angel as well. And that same small part could see that, perhaps, despite all she had done to them and would do to Angel, that they _did_ owe her for that, at the very least, so he would make an effort, one he was sure his Mate would appreciate...and hopefully reward him for later.

"Come on, let's go and see the stars."

' _Mummy?_ ' Ayla called to Angel in her mind, the mental bond strengthened for the moment as she took her mother's hand, ' _Why is daddy being so nice now? I thought he didn't like River._ '

Angel looked at her daughter, staring up at her in a familiar curiosity, ' _One day, River will realize that your father and I love each other very much, and...she will do a very selfless thing to help us. She…she won't make it._ '

Ayla nodded, understanding, and Angel smiled. Her daughter truly was brilliant, able to understand what had happened and worked itself out in the Doctor's mind from just those small facts she'd gleamed.

"But I haven't changed!" River shouted, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"And you never will," the Doctor stated with a sigh.

He could see it in the Older Rivers, she _still_ didn't like Angel, her Second self was a bit more...hostile in general but wasn't quite as outright harsh to Angel as this one seemed to be. It was like the Second her was trying to be more subtle, much like, he realized, the Rivers they'd encountered in the _Byzantium_ and the Pandorica and the diner had been. The Third River was...more closed off, harder to read, but...she seemed to have matured enough to at least keep a lid on her feelings about Angel. Which, to be honest, worried him more to think on. That River...if she was better at hiding her feelings...how would they be able to tell what she was planning?

He swallowed hard, putting that aside for now, he wouldn't know until they'd actually dealt with those Rivers in the future.

"What were the other yous doing here?" River asked, looking at Angel. She knew enough to know the woman told the truth more often than the Doctor. That was the only good in talking to her, to get information out of her.

"We can't say," Angel told her with a sad smile.

"What's that word you said in Berlin?" she frowned in thought.

"Spoilers?"

"I like that word," she smirked.

"We thought you might," the Doctor remarked simply.

She shook her head, eyeing them suspiciously, "You and your secrets, you'll be the death of me," she walked close to the Doctor as though to kiss him but he turned back to the console to work and she continued on her walk past him.

He sighed, watching as River went to the doors, opening them to look out, watching as they drifted in space, above a planet, before turning to Angel, "Are you alright?" he asked her.

"I'm just fine," she nodded, taking his hand, "I told you," she whispered, leaning close, "I feel stronger now," she glanced back at River, "I can handle River and whatever spoilers she throws at me," she gave him a wink.

He nodded and glanced at River, realizing, in the span of seconds they'd seen her at her start and right near her end, about to go to the Library. He remembered that event now, remembered River's teasing and innuendo, her lack of care for Angel, and...he remembered she died to save them. No matter the person, he always felt...bad...when people died for him or for people he cared about.

"Everything, all things, must die my love," Angel said quietly as she squeezed his hand.

He paused, she'd often said that, he smiled, and she was always right. Angel gave him a small smile and a kiss on the cheek before she turned and put in some commands.

Ayla walked over to her father's side and tugged the arm of his coat, "Mummy's very smart," she told her father.

He smiled widely, "Yes, she is," he nodded, looking at Angel with a soft look in his eyes, "She's the most clever woman I've ever met."

Angel shook her head and smacked him lightly on the chest as she passed him, "Hush," she murmured.

The Doctor jokingly stumbled back, his hand resting on his chest as though she'd hurt him, "Ayla did you see that?" he looked at his daughter playfully, "Mummy's being mean to me."

Ayla giggled, hiding her mouth behind her hands, a custom she seemed to have picked up when trying to cover her laughter.

"Well come on!" River shouted, shutting the door and heading back to them, whether she was tired of looking at the stars or just wanted to interrupt the family moment they didn't know, though...THEY didn't ever get tired of looking at the stars, "We'll miss it!"

The Doctor's grin faded as he was reminded River was, in fact, still there.

Ayla blinked, seeing the change in her father and took his hand instead, "Don't worry daddy," the girl said, giving him a little smile, "Everything'll be alright."

He gave her a smile at the words Angel so often said and looked up at his Mate as well. River's sacrifice would mean they would live, they would go on to save countless lives, and produce what was, in his opinion, the most brilliant, most beautiful child in the history of the Universe, "Yes it will."

Angel couldn't help but shake her head at his thoughts.

' _What?_ ' he looked at her, making his way over to her, taking her hands, ' _You disagree that she's the most beautiful child ever? She's YOUR daughter._ '

Angel blushed at that compliment, ' _Not at all,_ ' she disagreed, ' _I just think..._ ' she glanced at Ayla, ' _I like to believe she would still happen even if we never met River._ '

He smiled softly at that, nodding, winding his arms around her to pull her closer, ' _I think you're right,_ ' he told her, ' _She truly is our reward._ '

She laughed, leaning forward to rest her forehead to his, ' _She's our treasure._ '

He laughed at that, Kitta, her true name, meant treasure in Gallifreyan. He looked at the console, at the rotor, recalling Angel's first greeting to the box that he'd seen in her memories, the TARDIS certainly _was_ a treasure. And it was fitting, that Angel would be the one to give him not just one, but three of the most amazing treasures he'd ever seen.

If it hadn't been for her, leaving their TARDIS unlocked on Gallifrey, he never would have had his adventures.

If he'd never met her, if she hadn't stayed with him after Van Statten's, he never would have found the deepest love he'd ever had, the most amazing Mate in the Universe.

And without her, he never would have had his daughter, his second chance at being a father, at getting it right.

' _I love you Nella,_ ' he whispered to her, curling his finger under her chin to lift her head, ' _So much._ '

' _More than all the stars in the Universe?_ ' she joked, recalling the words their daughter had said such a short time ago.

' _More than ANYTHING,_ ' he told her, a serious look in his eyes, ' _You and Kitta are my whole world_ ,' he reminded her, ' _And I will never let anything hurt you, either of you, ever again._ '

Her gaze turned soft as she reached up to touch his face, ' _I love you too Theta, and I know you'll protect us,_ ' she told him, her faith in him shining in her eyes, mixed with her love for him, ' _I won't let anything harm both of you either._ '

He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, pouring his promise and his devotion and his love into the kiss, swearing in his hearts, swearing on every star in the Universe, that he would see his family safe and protected and happy. He couldn't help but grin as he felt Angel wind her arms around him, deepening the kiss herself, and pulled her closer.

Ayla smiled as she watched her parents, even though kissing was a bit gross, she knew it meant that they loved each other very much. She glanced over at River, seeing the woman about to speak and interrupt and quickly put her finger to her lips, "Shhh," she lightly commanded the woman.

River opened her mouth to say something...only to find she couldn't really talk, and glared at Ayla.

But the little girl just grinned proudly, pleased she'd been able to give her parents a moment using a little trick her father had used on one of her cousins during Christmas when he'd gotten fussy.

River just huffed and crossed her arms.

But the Time Lords continued on, sealing their promise of protection with each other, both of them more confident than ever that they would be able to keep it.

To be continued...in...The Nightmare Begins!

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Muwah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Such a sweet promise and ending...and then that title right? }:) BUT! I can say, the next story WILL be Romance/Adventure, SO much romance ;) ...but Angst would probably be a 3rd option, but mainly Romance/Adventure ;) I'm really glad you all liked the fluff in the last chapter, and I can say it'll definitely continue. TNB will be more like Romance, with a tiny side of angst }:)
> 
> Lol, did you like Ayla's little 'shhh!' moment with River? Wonder what that says about her brain eh? ;) I can say that this is only a little hint of the Angel we'll see around River in the future, here she didn't back down, she didn't turn away, she held her ground while still trying to be kind to her. But River...well...she just might push even Angel's patience one day ;)
> 
> OMG! We're at the end of A Fallen Angel! O.O I...can't believe it's over! Time went by SO fast! Wow! Time flies! I have to say, I'm really looking forward to TNB though, which we'll get in 1 week ;)
> 
> And, just to end...I really have to say thank you guys SO much! Really, I give each and every reader a virtual hug because you guys are amazing :)


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